An unusual-looking Florida raptor, the crested caracara is Mexico’s national bird. They are members of the falcon family, but their heads look very parrot-like—a red face and a thick curved bill offset their black-and-white plumage. Although they will eat insects, reptiles, and fish, they won’t turn their beaks up at carrion if it’s easily available. Caracara prefer open, grassy rangelands, and are only found in Florida between Lake Okeechobee and Lake Kissimmee, seen mainly along the vast prairies and waterways of this region.
