The Crested Caracara, a member of the hawk family, can be found nearby on the open pasture lands of the large horse and cattle ranches here in central Florida. There are small numbers of it in the southwestern United States also. It is known for eating just about anything it can overpower. It has even been observed swallowing baby alligators. It’s related to the Caracaras of Central and South America but is classified as a subspecies. The birds on this page were photographed in Citrus County, Florida.
Commonly referred to as the American Bald Eagle, this magnificent bird is not actually bald as you can see. The white feathers on the top of his head give the appearance, from a distance, of being bald. The heads of the young eagles are dark and don't become white until about the fifth year of life.
Next to Alaska, Florida has the most breeding pairs of this national bird of the United States. Nests are very large and usually in very, very tall trees. A pair of eagles will return to the same nest year after year.