Record of a new food item in the diet of the Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) in Brazil: fruits of the macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata)

The Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) is described as an opportunistic bird that feeds on both carrion and live prey. It forages by scratching the ground with its feet in search of items such as peanuts and beans, and it also consumes oil palm fruits. The species exhibits a wide geographic distribution, ranging from Argentina to the southern United States, occupying a great variety of environments, except for the Andes Mountain range. Its most abundant populations are found in southeastern and northeastern Brazil. The objective of this manuscript is to report a new food item in the diet of the Crested Caracara in Brazil: the fruits of the macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata). The records were obtained during an avian community survey using Nikon Action 8×40 binoculars in the southern region of the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Further studies are recommended to better understand the importance of macaw palm in the diet of the Crested Caracara, as well as the role of this bird in plant-animal interactions, given that it might act as a seed disperser.