Striated Caracara feedback

Field work was conduced during December 2010 and January 2011. Mobile trackers that were designed during the Darwin funded raptor project were fitted to ten individuals of this species.

The funding covered travel, cost of equipment (trackers and tarsus bands) and accommodation/ subsistence.
To maximise the amount of data collected we used a GPS loggers as the cost of satellite tags would limit our sample size. However re-capture of the birds was not always successful and to date there have been 5 of the 10 re-captured. The data collected has been completely unique, and has provided Falklands Conservation with movement, foraging and roosting information on a species which had previously not been studied with any GPS tagging whatsoever on the Falkland Islands.

The work has been instrumental in discovering the foraging and roosting habits of the Striated caracara and will form a significant part of the basis for any ongoing work on the species, both with Falklands Conservation and other researchers. The forward looking plan is to further examine the impacts of raptorial scavenging upon livestock over the course of a 2-3 year project commencing later this year (pending successful funding application). It is envisage that the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and Boise State University will continue to be involved in work on this species in the Falklands Islands. It is also likely that further work will be carried out on the movements of this species as part of this research.