MARWELL Zoo has made a new addition to their family as they welcome a pair of southern caracara.
These birds of prey are originally from central and southern South America and are known for their high level of intelligence as well as their diverse eating habits which include carrion, livestock carcasses, carnivore faeces and live prey such as birds and insects.
A distinctive feature of the southern caracara is their longer legs compared to their falcon relatives.
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This allows them to be strong runners and hunt on the ground in a manner that other birds of prey cannot do.
Their wingspan ranges from between 120 to 133cm and they have dark brown and white plumage, an orange cere and long yellow legs and feet.
Robert Haines, Senior Animal Keeper for birds at Marwell Zoo, said: “In the wild, these versatile predators are known to exploit many resources to obtain food.
"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.”
To simulate their foraging behaviours, the bird team has inserted pipes into a rocky area near the windows of their habitat.
Food can then be dropped down the pipes into the rocks, giving guests the opportunity to watch the southern caracara uncover their food.
Southern caracara are a member of the falcon family and can be found throughout a wide range of habitats across most of South America.
They are listed as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with numbers thought to be increasing.
This increase could be attributed to deforestation which has created a more suitable habitat for caracara.
Marwell Zoo is home to a variety of exotic animals such as giraffes, rhinoceroses, zebras and tigers amongst many rare and endangered species.
The conservation charity owns and operates the zoo and guests are advised to prebook to receive the best prices for entry.
If you would like to learn more information about the southern caracara, or would like to purchase tickets for Marwell Zoo, visit their website at www.marwell.org.uk.
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