Jamaican Caracara (Caracara tellustris)  

The Jamaican Caracara was described on the basis of subfossil remains that were uncovered in the so-called Skeleton Cave in the Jackson’s Bay Cave system on the south coast of Portland Ridge, Jamaica.  

The species was a large, terrestrial bird with reduced wings that even may have been flightless.  

The Jamaican Caracara probably disappeared quite recently, sometimes after the occupation of the island by European settlers. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Storrs L. Olson: A new species of large, terrestrial caracara from Holocene deposits in southern Jamaica (Aves: Falconidae). Journal of Raptor Research. The Raptor Research Foundation. 42 (4): 265–272. 2008

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edited: 21.09.2020