Caracara latebrosus (Puerto Rican Caracara)

[Melanie]

Only known from bones found on Puerto Rico. Extinction date ca. 1920.

[sebbe67]

www.kaiseradler.de/Greifvogel___Eulen_1/greifvogel___eulen_1.html

[another specialist]

caves of Porto Rico are some bird bones which are being studied by Dr. Alexander Wetmore and pending the completion of his report he has published descriptions of five new species--Polyborus latebrosus (p. 77); Gallinago anthonyi (p. 78); Oreopeleia larva (p. 79); Tyto caratica (p. 80); and Corvus pumilis (p. 81).--W. S.

elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v038n02/p0297-p0298.pdf

[another specialist]

Melanie where did you get 1920 as extinction date?

[Melanie]

From the German website linked above

[Deleted]

Hi !

I would say that it was rather discovered at 1920 but not extinct at this date.

[Deleted]

On that website they call Titanoheirax a Zwergfalke !!! As far as I know this was a giant eagle and not a dwarf falcon.

I would'nt take this site for serious.

[another specialist]

noisi said:

Hi !

I would say that it was rather discovered at 1920 but not extinct at this date.

i would agree with you noisi.

1920's being the discovery date of the first bones if it became extinct then it would surely be mentioned in the extinct birds by Errol Fuller don't you think?

[Melanie]

Maybe it is an extinction from before 1500 or it was a prehistoric extinction.

[another specialist]

I would say that is more possible being that your first entry says only known by bones if it became extinct in 1920 it be known by more descriptions, drawings, paintings, accounts, sightings and possible museum specimens but it ain't known by any of those.

[Melanie]

I've found here something which may refer to that species:

Human activities have precipitated a long history of decline for the approximately 250 native bird species known from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (Raffaele 1989). This number includes ten extinct and two extirpated species. The crested caracara (Olson 1976a), Puerto Rican quail-dove, and Puerto Rican woodcock (Olson 1976b) almost certainly disappeared before Columbus's arrival, although the Puerto Rican barn-owl may have survived into the colonial period (Wetmore 1927).

biology.usgs.gov/s+t/SNT/noframe/cr133.htm

[another specialist]

caves of Porto Rico are some bird bones which are being studied by Dr.
Alexander Wetmore and pending the completion of his report he has
published descriptions of five new species--Polyborus latebrosus (p. 77);
Gallinago anthonyi (p. 78); Oreopeleia larva (p. 79); Tyto caratica (p. 80);
and Corvus pumilis (p. 81).--W. S.

elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v038n02/p0297-p0297.pdf

[another specialist]

Thanks for the info Melanie. Yes, this may well be the same bird but it may turn out possibly to be another.

But this species here is very limited in available info on the net.

[Prolagus]

If the extinction was in 1920, we would have more informations about this species.

I think the speices died out some time after the european settlement in this area.

[another specialist]

prolagus said:

If the extinction was in 1920, we would have more informations about this species.

I think the speices died out some time after the european settlement in this area.

the 1920 was an error for extinction date.

I believe it was scientifically named in 1921

[cryptodude100]

How large would this falcon be?

[another specialist]

Jan 12, 2007 18:15:52 GMT cryptodude100 said:

How large would this falcon be?

As previous post state it was not a falcon but an eagle from the Caracara group.

[surroundx]

Olson, Storrs L. (1976). A New Species of Milvago from Hispaniola, with Notes on Other Fossil Caracaras from the West Indies (Aves: Falconidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 88(33): 355-366.