Phalcoboenus is a small genus of caracara in the family Falconidae. They are found in barren, open habitats in the Andes, Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. The four species are almost entirely allopatric. The adults are distinctive, with bare yellow, orange or red facial skin and cere, and a black plumage with variable amounts of white. Juveniles are overall brown with pale pinkish-grey facial skin and cere. They are highly opportunistic and typically seen walking on the ground, where they will feed on carrion and virtually any small animal they can catch.
The name is derived from Greek: Greek, Modern (1453-);: φάλκων '' (hawk, falcon) and Greek, Modern (1453-);: βαίνω '' (I go, I walk).[1] The original lithograph print produced for Alcide d'Orbigny is captioned "Phalcobœnus montanus" with an o-e ligature,[2] but his later text has "Phalcobænus montanus" with a-e ligature in "Phalcobaenus".
There are four extant and one extinct species.
The extant species are:
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phalcoboenus carunculatus | Ecuador and Colombia. | ||
| Phalcoboenus megalopterus | Mountain caracara | Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Argentina | |
| Phalcoboenus albogularis | southern Chile and Argentina | ||
| Phalcoboenus australis | Tierra del Fuego, but is more abundant in the Falklands | ||
The extinct species is Phalcoboenus napieri which is known from subfossil remains unearthed in peat deposits from the Falkland Islands, described in 2016 and named for Roddy Napier, the owner of West Point Island in the Falklands.[3]