Yellow-headed Caracara

How to find it

Look for it on roadside fence posts, walking in pastures near cattle, or circling with vultures over carcasses. It often lets vehicles approach close, so slow driving along farm roads pays off. Early morning and late afternoon are suggested as the best viewing times. Listen for the harsh, repeated scream, which is unmistakable where it lives.

How to recognise it

Adults have a buff to cream head and underparts, set against a dark brown back and wings.

A thin dark line runs back from the eye through the pale head.

The tail has dark and cream bars.

The bird stands upright when perched and is about 40 to 45 cm long.

In flight, look for a pale patch at the base of the flight feathers (primaries) on each wing. It is broad-winged and long-tailed, and looks somewhat like a small buteo hawk in the air.

Immatures look different. They have dense brown mottling on the head and underparts, so they appear darker than the pale-headed adults, and a guide says juveniles tend to be dark brown all over.

What it sounds like

Recording: Dan MacNeal, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

This caracara spends much of its time walking on the ground. It eats carrion, insects, small animals and fruit, and often searches roadsides and garbage dumps.

Birds gather in groups at rich food sources, and communal roosts of 20 to 50 birds are reported. Some follow tractors during ploughing to catch disturbed prey, and some urban birds learn garbage collection times.

In Costa Rica it rides cattle to pick off ticks, and it has been documented doing the same on Baird's tapirs.

Where it lives

It likes open and semi-open country: pastures, farmland, savanna, forest edges, river areas and towns. It avoids dense forest.

In Costa Rica it ranges from sea level to about 2,000 m, most often below 1,500 m. It is found across the Pacific lowlands from Guanacaste to the Panama border and is increasingly common in the Central Valley. It is also spreading on the Caribbean slope around Limón and Sarapiquí.

When to see it

Nesting runs from December to April in Costa Rica.

Similar birds

A young Yellow-headed Caracara can be mistaken for a young Crested Caracara, a relative. The Yellow-headed is smaller and lacks the dark cap, the bare facial skin and the dark belly of the Crested. Adults are the pale-headed bird with a dark line behind the eye.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The AOCR Spanish name is Caracara Cabecigualdo, also written Caracara Chimachima, and a Costa Rican newspaper piece calls it Cabeza Amarilla. It is locally called 'tickbird' for taking ticks from cattle.

Status and conservation

It is a resident (R) on the AOCR list and is rated Least Concern by the IUCN.

Photography tips

It often sits on fence posts or walks in pastures, and roadsides through farmland are said to give excellent views. Because it often lets vehicles approach close, a car can work as a hide. Early morning and late afternoon are the suggested times.