White-throated caracara
species of bird
The white-throated caracara (Daptrius albogularis), also known as Darwin's caracara, is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Argentina and Chile.
Taxonomy and systematics
The white-throated caracara was formally described in 1837 by the English ornithologist John Gould based on a specimen belonging to Charles Darwin that had been collected in Santa Cruz, Patagonia. Gould was uncertain about how to classify the specimen and gave the scientific name as Polyborus (Phalcobaenus) albogularis. The specific epithet combines Latin albus meaning "white" with Modern Latin gularis meaning "throated" or "of the throat". The white-throated caracara was formerly placed in the genus Phalcoboenus. Molecular genetic studies found that the genus Milvago was polyphyletic with the chimango caracara sister to the genus Phalcoboenus and the yellow-headed caracara sister to the genus Daptrius. As the genetic divergence was relatively shallow, the polyphyly was resolved by expanding the genus Daptrius to include the species formerly placed in the genera Milvago and Phalcoboenus. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The white-throated caracara and the carunculated caracara were formerly treated as subspecies of the mountain caracara but the three are now considered a superspecies due to their shallow genetic differences.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q997736. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1837.
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This entry incorporates text from “White-throated caracara” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.