Guadalupe caracara
| Guadalupe caracara | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Superorder | Passerimorphae |
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Infraorder | Falconides |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Falconidae |
| Sub-family | Polyborinae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Caracara |
| Species Information | |
| Species | C. lutosa |
| Population statistics | |
| Conservation status | Extinct[1] |
The Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa) was a bird of prey of the family Falconidae, and endemic to a single island west of Mexico. Extensive human persecution caused its extinction about 1900, marking one of the fastest recorded extinctions of any animal since its discovery some 25 years earlier.
Description
A medium-sized raptor, the Guadalupe caracara was superficially similar to its mainland relatives, but more of a light buff-brown overall. It featured a brown crest, a cream-yellow cere (the fleshy area above the beak), and wings banded with brown and white. It was known for being exceptionally fearless and curious towards humans. They were opportunistic scavengers and predators that often hunted cooperatively to separate and kill prey.
Cause of Extinction
This species was only found on Isla Guadalupe, an island in the Pacific Ocean some 150 miles west of Baja California. Discovered in 1875, settlers on the island viewed them as a threat to livestock, specifically small goats. Systematic extermination campaigns using hunting and poisoning, combined with habitat degradation from invasive goats, led to their rapid demise. Thomas R. Howell and Tom J. Cade's 1953 expedition to Guadalupe Island, published as The Birds of Guadalupe Island in 1953, documented the status of birds on the island. They concluded that the Guadalupe caracara was officially extinct, confirming no sightings had occurred since 1900, despite previous reports.[2] Fewer than 40 museum specimens exist today. In a strange twist of fate, its extinction also led to the co-extinction of a species of louse (Acutifrons caracarensis), a parasitical insect that lived only on this bird.[3]
