Caracara

Caracara, the Brazilian name for Polyborus braziliensis, from its cry; applied also to the other species of falcon-like hawks of the sub-family Polyborinae, exclusively South American, with the exception of the Secretary-bird (q.v.). The toes of these birds are webbed at the base, and they seem quite as much at home on the ground as in the air. They feed on frogs, small reptiles, offal, etc. The plumage is brownish-grey with darker markings, and the bare pale skin of the face becomes red when the birds are irritated or excited.