A bird of prey from the family Falconidae, this Milvago chimachima is found in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and throughout South America. They are omnivorous and rely on scavenging, eating carrion, insects (including ticks off animal’s backs), crabs, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds eggs as well as fruits and seeds.  Conservation Status of Least Concern. 

Arrived January 2024, at 1 month old. RAREC was asked by the government to take in this cara cara. Without all the backstory, we have put together that the chick fell from the nest and the local community tried to care for it but were unable to, so handed it over to the authorities. Our vets assessed it, and discovered it wasn’t even able to walk or feed by itself yet. However, it quickly stood on its own two feet and learnt to hunt bugs and small fish and amphibians. She was moved into a large enclosure where she could practice flying and hunting on her own.  

Once Maracuya was moved to bigger enclosure so she could practice flying ready for release. The caretakers and vets hid her food to encourage scavenging and she was then given insects and live prey such as lizards, frogs, and fish, which the volunteers dutifully hunted for her. When they saw she was successfully hunting and digging out worms on her own, and had reached the correct weight, she was released via soft release, meaning she was still being fed once a day, but far from human infrastructure. Despite this she chose her territory close to the RAREC entrance and can often be seen flying or perched around. She is now completely self sufficient, feeding herself. 

Released on 16.4.24.