Mapping the Mountain Caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus)/White-throated Caracara (P. albogularis) Contact Zone and Possible Hybrid Zone in Northern Patagonia Available to Purchase

The four species of Andean caracaras (in order from north to south, based on distributions: Phalcoboenus carunculatus, P. megalopterus, P. albogularis, and P. australis) are a recently diverged, closely related group of raptors (Griffiths et al. 2004, Fuchs et al. 2012) that inhabit primarily open ecosystems within limited distributions along the Andes and on Southern Atlantic Ocean islands (Bierregaard et al. 2022a, 2022b, Bierregaard and Kirwan 2022a, 2022b). Except for the Striated Caracara (P. australis), which inhabits coastal areas on islands, all species are associated with high Andean grasslands and scrub above the timber line (Vuilleumier 1970), although the White-throated Caracara (P. albogularis) also inhabits open mountain slopes and humid forest from sea level to 3000 masl (Bierregaard and Kirwan 2022b). Some authors have considered these species to be allopatric...