AUDUBON CARACARA 
362. Polyborus cheriway. 22 in. 
These peculiar birds cannot be mistaken for any of 
our hawks or faleons. They are very sluggish birds, 
with habits resembling both those of buzzards and some 
of the hawks. They are usually known in localities 
where they are found, as Caracara Eagles. As we might 
suspect from the shape of their bill, the naked and 
bristle-covered lores, and the feet, which have not the 
strongly hooked talons of hawks, the food of these birds 
is largely carrion. It is terrestrial in its habits and is 
most often seen, when not in flight, either upon the 
ground, or standing erect on branches at low elevations. 
They are more quarrelsome in their disposition than 
are vultures, and frequently fight over their prey. 
Nest.—A bulky, but shabby pile of sticks and weeds, 
in bushes or low trees; eges buff, sprinkled, spotted or 
blotched with yellowish brown or chestnut. (2.50 x 1.80). 
Range.—Resident of the Mexican border of the U. 8. 
and in southern Florida. 
