#R3 Yellow-headed Caracara 

This limited edition patch is part of our Rarities series. Patch Club subscribers get a discounted rate of 50% off our Rarities series the month that it is released—this one is for November 2025.

Though a member of the falcon family, the Yellow-headed Caracara behaves more like a vulture, frequently eating carrion on the ground. The species inhabits open country from northern Argentina to Costa Rica, but is slowly expanding its range north due to deforestation in Central America. An omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, it will perch on cattle, capybaras, and tapirs to pick off ticks. Still an “accidental” species in the American Birding Association area, sightings in 2024 in Florida, Texas, and California have drawn hordes of U.S. birders.