Darwin was astonished by the fearlessness of the Falklands’ native wildlife: Handsome flocks of upland geese barely looked up as he and his companions thundered past, miniature wolves called “warrahs” paid him little or no attention and starling-like songbirds pecked at his boots. Once ashore, Darwin persuaded a pair of Argentine horsemen to take him on a hunt for feral cattle - a five-day gallop through squalls of snow and ice in which they dodged fierce bulls, slept on bare ground and roasted suppers of wild beef on fires stoked with bones. His first glimpses of their spartan, treeless moorlands, broken only by low mountains and ridges of granitic quartz, brought him none of the elation he’d felt in the lush forests of Brazil - “higher feelings of wonder, astonishment and devotion which fill and elevate the mind.” In a letter to his sister, the 22-year-old naturalist grumbled that “I can plainly see there will not be much pleasure or contentment till we get out of these detestable latitudes and are carrying on all sail to the land where bananas grow.”Ī closer look, however, revealed one of the world’s strangest and most wonderful animals. His first book, from which this essay is adapted, is “A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey.”Ĭharles Darwin didn’t want to linger in the “desolate and wretched” landscapes of the Falkland Islands. It is thought the increase in numbers can be attributed, in part, to deforestation, which has created more suitable habitat for caracara.Jonathan Meiburg is a musician and writer. Southern caracara are listed as being of Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species with numbers thought to be increasing. Food can be dropped down the pipes into the rocks inside the enclosure for the carcara to uncover. The birds team at Marwell has simulated this by inserting pipes into a rocky area close to the window. In the wild these birds will often turn over small rocks and debris to find invertebrates such as insects, molluscs and arachnids. “At Marwell, we will be feeding our two caracara in a variety of ways to encourage them to display these diverse foraging behaviours, which means that they will be busy investigating their environment all throughout the day.” They are also highly intelligent and exploit many resources to obtain food in the wild. “These versatile predators possess longer legs than other members of the falcon family, an adaptation that allows them to hunt on the ground in a manner that most other birds of prey cannot. They feed on carrion, as well as any living prey small enough for them to overpower. “Southern caracara are a member of the falcon family found throughout a wide range of habitats across most of South America. Guests will be able to find our intriguing new arrivals at the top of the park, just past Okapi playground where they are settling into their newly created enclosure. Setting them apart from many of their close falcon relatives, they spend much of their time on the ground. They are strong runners because of their long legs and often pursue prey on the ground. They have an orange cere (the fleshy area at the top and sides of the beak that house nostrils) and long yellow legs and feet. The wingspan of these birds of prey is typically between 120 and 133cm with dark brown and white plumage. These highly opportunistic birds have a very diverse diet ranging from carrion and livestock carcasses to human refuse, carnivore faeces and live prey including birds and insects. Introducing our impressive new raptors, a pair of southern caracara, native to central and southern South America.
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