An I-35 showdown between caracaras and vultures

I had heard there were numerous sighting of caracaras east of I-35, so one day a few years ago I took a day drive in search of this bird. It was not long before I hit pay dirt – road kill. I came across a flock of vultures and three Northern Crested Caracaras on Posey Road. At the time all I knew was that the bird was called a Mexican Eagle. To my surprise there was more to know about this bird.

The Northern Crested Caracara resides in Cuba, South America, Northern Peru, Norther Amazonian Brazil, and most of Central America and Mexico. Reaching the southernmost parts of the United States including Florida, it has a wing span of 46-52 inches and weighs two to three pounds.