Bird ID

[Donb10]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Is this a Mexican Eagle?

I was repairing some fence Sunday morning about 7:30AM and this fellow was walking around on the ground. I walked back to my car and got my camera and got a few shots of him before he flew into this tree.

[scottbuckel]

Mexican Eagle is a name that is used for this bird but a Crested Caracara is a more proper name for the bird.

Scott

[Donb10]

Thanks Scott. This is the first time I have seen this guy around. There are two other birds that have been hanging around for over a year. The appear to be a little larger that this one. They are black, and several inches of their wing tips or white. My neighbor seems to think they have a nest somewhere close as we see them quite often.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by Donb10

There are two other birds that have been hanging around for over a year. The appear to be a little larger that this one. They are black, and several inches of their wing tips or white. My neighbor seems to think they have a nest somewhere close as we see them quite often.

Your other birds sound like they might be Turkey Vultures....


Turkey Vulture by Shadow Hunter, on Flickr

[Donb10]

I don't think they are turkey vultures. I have plenty of those. These two birds are always together, they are much smaller than a vulture, and their bodies and wings are very dark black. Several inches of the wing tips are bright white. I'll try and get a shot of them next time I'm up there.

[Patti Edens]

With just the wingtips being white, it sounds like a Black Vulture, but they are about the same size as a Turkey Vulture, so maybe not.

[scottbuckel]

Actually, the bird in the photo is likely to be a juvenile, while the ones you describe are the adults. A filed mark for the adults is the 4 points of white while flying, the wing tips, the tail and the neck are all white and can easily be seen while the bird is flying.

Scott

[Donb10]

I think you are right Scott. I looked at several web-sites and they did show
what you are describing and they do look like the ones in the photos I saw. Like I said earlier, the other two have been living in a group of trees on my neighbors place and the one I photographed could be one of their off-springs.

[sandboa]

Originally Posted by scottbuckel

Mexican Eagle is a name that is used for this bird but a Crested Caracara is a more proper name for the bird.

Scott

The national bird of Mexico is the Golden Eagle, not the Crested Caracara. So therefore, if there is to be a "Mexican Eagle", it should be the Golden Eagle.

Yet I've seen people draw/paint the crest of Mexico with Caracaras on it based on this mistake. I'm not sure where this name started, but I have been guilty of using it until I read the facts.

(Man, I'm preachy when I don't get enough sleep! )

[scottbuckel]

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottbuckel View Post
Mexican Eagle is a name that is used for this bird but a Crested Caracara is a more proper name for the bird.

Scott
The national bird of Mexico is the Golden Eagle, not the Crested Caracara. So therefore, if there is to be a "Mexican Eagle", it should be the Golden Eagle.

Yet I've seen people draw/paint the crest of Mexico with Caracaras on it based on this mistake. I'm not sure where this name started, but I have been guilty of using it until I read the facts.

(Man, I'm preachy when I don't get enough sleep! )

Hey Chris I knew that as well, just did not go into that detail in my response. Some one told me that there was an illustration many years ago in which the gold nape on the Golden Eagle was not drawn and colored properly and the incorrect identification started there. I have also heard that the Crested Caracara gets referred to as an eagle in Mexico. The third possible reason for this incorrect name is that I have heard that the Crested Caracara (as well as the Golden Eagle) is illustrated on Mexican currency (I do not ever remember seeing any currency from Mexico as I have never been there). These are a few of things I have heard from people, but I have never researched to validate any of them.


Scott

[Will Rountree]

Sibley has this bird as Northern Caracara a subfamily of the falcon family in 2000. Since then it's name has been changed to the Crested Caracara. It doesn't seem similar with any other bird. It's different! :) Your pix seems to look like a juvenile.

[DougC]

Here's an adult Caracara, is this your other bird?

[Donb10]

It could be. I have never been able to get any where close to the other birds. When I see them, there is always two of them and they are much darker than the one I photographed. I'll be spending this weekend up there and hopefully I might get a shot of the other two.