Caracaras: An Opportunity for Expanding Cognitive Research

KATIE HARRINGTON; LAURA BIONDI; BALZA ULISES; LAMBERT MEGAN

Fort Lauderdale

Conferencia; Annual Meeting of the Raptor Research Foundation; 2022

Raptor Research Foundation

The caracara subfamily (Polyborinae) of falconids appear to march to a different drummer than most birds ofprey. These walking falcons are mostly opportunistic scavenger-predators who have adapted to survivehabitats spanning subpolar to Amazon lowland to alpine, and even highly anthropized grasslands. Many of theten extant species are gregarious and behaviorally flexible. Modern genetic sequencing revealed they are asister clade to parrots and songbirds (i.e., proposed clade Eufalconimorphae), groups that are central tocomparative cognition research with some species even nicknamed “feathered apes.” Despite this, falconidshave been mostly excluded as candidates for cognitive research. We propose a substantial opportunity forfuture cognitive research into the caracara subfamily, beginning within the context of the newly developedManyBirds Project, a multi-site collaborative Open Science approach to avian cognition and behavior research.As a case study, we share preliminary results from cognitive research with Striated Caracara (Phalcoboenusaustralis ) on the Falkland Islands and suggest how these results can improve conservation management plansand public perception, as well as emphasize enrichment needs that could directly benefit future captivebreeding and reintroduction efforts for the species.