SOLARO, C. and SARASOLA, J.H. 2012. First observation of infanticide and cannibalism in nest of Chimango caracara (Milvago chimango). Journal of Raptor Research 46 (4):412-413.

Abstract: Infanticide and cannibalism are behaviors exhibited between individuals of the same species. Infanticide is aggressive behavior in which a mature animal kills young offspring; cannibalism is a feeding behavior exhibited by genetically related or unrelated individuals of the same species. Filial infanticide occurs when parents kill offspring in their own brood and is sometimes followed by the parents’ consumption of their own young, termed filial cannibalism. Infanticide and cannibalism have been documented in many wildlife species including several species of raptors belonging to several different families. These behaviors are difficult to witness, however, especially filial infanticide and filial cannibalism. To appropriately assign these behaviors, a genetic relationship between predator (parent) and prey (offspring) must be established. Here, we report the first case of filial infanticide followed by filial cannibalism in the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango), a common but little-studied raptor that is well adapted to human environments and is often observed in urban areas

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