Once inhabiting the Guadalupe Island of Mexico, the Guadalupe Caracara was a common bird that helped to populate the uniquely diverse and isolated island that rested 150 miles west of Baja, California.

The beginning of the end for this species was the practice of dropping off goats upon the island by seafarers in the early 19th century. This was done to provide fresh meat for long voyages passing by the island. Unfortunately, the goats quickly destroyed the vegetation of an island that had gone thousands of years without any large herbivores. This caused a chain effect, in which this vegetation - which once created condensation surfaces for sea fog - would lead to a more arid island, destroying the habitat.

With the habitat decimated, curious ornithologists flocked to the island to observe and collect the many rare bird species that inhabited it. Their skins were collected for the profitable market of museum, university, and private collections. The Guadalupe Caracara’s brave nature made it unafraid of humans, furthering making it a target.

Sadly, pressure from prior attempts at killing off the species by goat farmers and the added pressure of skin collectors would lead to their doom. On December 1st, 1900, Rollo Beck, ironically an American ornithologist who has other bird species named after him, shot at 11 individuals of the bird, killing 9. He was likely the last person to see the Caracara alive.

Extinction Date According to the IUCN List: 1900 or 1903