Rethinking raptors: caracaras as a model for avian cognition in the wild

Caracaras (subfamily Polyborinae) are a behaviorally distinctive and underexplored lineage of falcons that offer valuable opportunities to investigate the evolution of avian cognition in ecologically valid settings. Belonging to the sister clade to parrots and corvids-groups renowned for their cognitive abilities-caracaras express key traits linked to cognitive evolution, including large brains, high pallial neuron counts, complex social structures, ecological flexibility, and generalist foraging strategies. This review synthesizes existing behavioral, ecological, and neurological evidence suggesting that caracaras are well-suited for testing hypotheses in both social and physical cognition. Caracaras' accessibility and behavioral responsiveness in the wild make them exceptionally well-suited for field-based studies, with the potential to address a critical gap in ecologically relevant comparative cognition. We highlight specific opportunities for research and emphasize that caracaras are a promising model for investigating how cognition evolves in response to varied socio-ecological pressures. We conclude that expanding cognitive research to include caracaras will broaden taxonomic representation and may offer broader insights into patterns of cognitive evolution.

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET)