This species was described in 2014 based on fossil remains that were recovered from the Talara Tar Seeps in northwestern Peru. These remains have been dated to Late Pleistocene/Earliest Holocene in age.
The species is also known from Late Pleistocene remains found in Ecuador. [1]
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References:
[1] William Suárez; Storrs L. Olson: A new fossil species of small crested caracara (Aves: Falconidae: Caracara) from the Pacific lowlands of western South America. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 127(2) :299–310. 2014
The Guadalupe Caracara was described in 1876, it was restricted to the Isla Guadalupe in the Baja California wher it was the top predator.
The species is one of the few who disappeared directly due to hunting by humans; the birds were condemned by farmers to be vicious goat killers, which, of course, was complete nonsense, since the birds almost certainly did not hunt the goats themselves but just fed on deceased animals.
The species was already nearly extinct when on December 1, 1900 the infamous American collector Rollo Beck, in the course of a scientific epedition, encountered what probably were the last eleven existing birds. Not knowing that these might be the last surviving individuals of their species, he shot 9 of them and thereby eradicated the species quite incidentally.
The Cuban Caracara was described in 2003 based on subfossil bones found on the island of Cuba. [1]
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References:
[1] W. Suárez; S. L. Olson: A new species of caracara (Milvago) from Quaternary asphalt deposits in Cuba, with notes on new material of Caracara creightoni Brodkorb (Aves: Falconidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 116(2): 301-307. 2003
This small genus of birds of prey contains four or five recent species and another recently extinct one.
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This species was described in 2016 based on subfossil bones which were recovered from a peat bog on West Point Island, Falkland Islands, and which were dated to 5480 to 5200 BP..
Napier’s Caracara was larger and more robust than the (Phalcoboenus australis (Gmelin)) [see photo], which today is the only bird of prey on these islands.
The two species obviously lived sympatrically, feeding in the large seabird colonies. [1]
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However, in my opinion, there is a slight chance, that the extinct form is nothing but a larger version of the surviving one. It is well known that some species were larger in former times, yet anthropogenic influences apparently adversely affect larger individuals within a population and thus lead the a decrease in individual size within this population.
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References:
[1] Mark P. Adams; Robin W. Woods: Mid-Holocene Falkland Islands bird bones from a peat deposit, including a new species of caracara. Emu 116(4): 370-378. 2016
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
The Puerto Rican Caracara was described in 1920 based on fossil or subfossil remains found in cave deposits on the island of Puerto Rico.
The species lived at the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene border but very likely survived into the Later Holocene to be finally wiped out by the first human settlers.
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
