CreatureData

Black caracara

Daptrius ater Vieillot, 1816

LCLeast Concernbirds of prey

The black caracara (Daptrius ater) is a species in the family Falconidae, order Falconiformes. Recorded adults weigh 330 g to 385 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Black caracara (Daptrius ater)
Photo: Rafael Mitsuo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black caracara

Weight
330 g – 385 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
91 cm – 1 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2 – 2.75src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the black caracara?

BLACK CARACARA · WINGSPAN 1 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the black caracara is about 59% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the black caracara live?

Not recorded

What is the black caracara?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black caracara (Daptrius ater) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae that is found in Amazonian and French Guianan lowlands, mainly occurring along rivers. It was formerly the only species placed in the genus Daptrius but based on genetic studies the genus now includes species that were formerly placed in the genera Milvago and Phalcoboenus.

Since migration has not been observed, they are considered resident, or sedentary, remaining in the tropics year round.

The black caracara is a widespread and sociable raptor, often spotted in groups of 2–5 individuals in tall trees. Nests, built from sticks and usually containing 2–3 brown-spotted eggs, have been observed high in trees, yet little is known of their breeding habits or reproduction. Typical of caracaras, D. ater is an omnivore as well as an opportunist, known simultaneously as a predator, scavenger and a forager; together with other American raptors, particularly the Cathartidae (new world vultures) and the condors, the black caracara benefits the greater environment by consuming carrion.

From the Wikipedia article “Black caracara” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_caracara&oldid=1348831520), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black caracara endangered?

The black caracara is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the black caracara classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderFalconiformes
  5. familyFalconidae
  6. genusDaptrius
  7. SpeciesDaptrius ater Vieillot, 1816

Synonyms Daptrius niger, Deptrius ater, Falco aterrimus

Other names and names in other languages (31)
  • كاراكارا أسودArabic
  • caracarà negreCatalan
  • čimango temnýCzech
  • caracara gyddf-felynWelsh
  • Sort CaracaraDanish
  • GelbkehlkarakaraGerman
  • Gelbkehl-KarakaraGerman
  • nigra karakaroEsperanto
  • Cacao negroSpanish
  • Caracara negroSpanish
  • metskarakaaraEstonian
  • mustakarakaraFinnish
  • Caracara noirFrench
  • fekete karakaraHungarian
  • Caracara neroItalian
  • キノドカラカラJapanese
  • paprastoji juodoji karakaraLithuanian
  • Zwarte CaracaraDutch
  • karakara czarnaPolish
  • Cancão-de-antaPortuguese
  • caracara-pretoPortuguese
  • gavião-de-antaPortuguese
  • Чёрная каракараRussian
  • Желтогорлая чёрная каракараRussian
  • karakara čiernaSlovak
  • Crna karakaraSerbian
  • svart karakaraSwedish
  • Siyah KarakaraTurkish
  • каракара чорнаUkrainian
  • 黑巨隼Chinese
  • 黑卡拉鷹Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black caracara

Other species in the same family Falconidae.

LC, Least Concern
Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Falconidae

LC, Least Concern
Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)

Gyrfalcon

Falco rusticolus

Falconidae

CompareBlack caracara vs Peregrine falconBlack caracara vs Common kestrelBlack caracara vs Eurasian hobbyBlack caracara vs Merlin

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black caracara?

An adult black caracara weighs 330 g – 385 g and has a wingspan of 91 cm – 1 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black caracara endangered?

The black caracara is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the black caracara?

The black caracara (Daptrius ater) belongs to the family Falconidae in the order Falconiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black caracara (Daptrius ater). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-caracara

MLA

“Black caracara (Daptrius ater).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-caracara.

BibTeX
@misc{black_caracara_2026,
  title = {Black caracara (Daptrius ater)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-caracara},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}