Tag Archives: Caracara creightoni

Caracara creightoni Brodkorb

Bahaman Caracara (Caracara creightoni)  

The Bahaman Caracara was described in 1959 based on fossil or subfossil bones, the oldest can be dated to a Pleistocene age, however, some are of Holocene origin and are only several thousand years old and even contain nearly complete mitochondrial DNA. [1]

The species inhabited the islands of the Bahamas as well as Cuba, it reached asize of about 60 cm, it had short wings and appears to have had only weak flying abilities.

The Bahaman Caracara clearly disappeared due to human interference.

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References:  

[1] Jessica A. Oswald; Julia M. Allen; Kelsey E. Witt; Ryan A. Folk; Nancy A. Albury; David W. Steadman; Robert P. Guralnick: Ancient DNA from a 2,500-year-old Caribbean fossil places an extinct bird (Caracara creightoni) in a phylogenetic context”. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 140: 106576. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106576. 2019

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edited: 21.09.2020