Yellow-headed Caracara

Daptrius chimachima

eBird offers this description of the Yellow-headed Caracara:  Adult is pale buffy with dark brown wings; juvenile is also buffy but with dark streaking all over. Note buffy wing patches in flight. Most similar to Laughing Falcon but only has thin dark line behind eye, not a full black mask. Much smaller than Crested Caracara, without dark cap. Found in open habitats, such as fields and river edges, where it often perches conspicuously. Can be found singly, in pairs, or in small family groups. Makes a harsh screeching noise. 

The Birds of the World website introduces the Yellow-headed Caracara with this descriptive information:  The Yellow-headed Caracara is a small, pale caracara of open habitats in lowlands from Costa Rica south to northern Argentina and Uruguay. It is mostly buffy-yellow, with a narrow dark eye line, dark brown upperparts, and dark brown banding on the tail. It inhabits agricultural land, grassland, savanna, marshes, and, particularly in Amazonia, successional growth along river courses. It feeds on an assortment of items including carrion, arthropods, amphibians, and fruit, frequently freeding on the ground along or in small groups. The stick nest is constructed high in a tree, or on the ground where trees are unavailable. 

I met my first Yellow-headed Caracara in Costa Rica on February 10, 2023 while taking a boat tour on the Tárcoles River.  We saw this bird at several different locations as it flew and fished.  

On the morning of Sunday, August 27, 2023, I saw a solitary Yellow-headed Caracara while visiting the Piquiri Lodge in the Pantanal Region of Brazil.  The bird was extremely back-lit but I managed to get a somewhat passable photo, which you see below.