Polyborinae
Encyclopedia
Polyborinae is a subfamily
of the falcon
family, Falconidae
. It contains the caracara
s, forest falcon
s, and Laughing Falcon
. All species in this subfamily are native to the Americas
. The composition of Falconidae is disputed, and Polyborninae is not featured in the American Ornithologists' Union
checklists for North and South American birds. The Check-list of North American Birds considers the Laughing Falcon a true falcon (subfamily Falconinae
) and replaces Polyborinae with Caracarinae
and Micrasturinae
. On the other hand, the Check-list of South American Birds classifies all caracaras as true falcons and puts the Laughing Falcon and forest falcons into the subfamily Herpetotherinae.
(Merrem
, 1826)
Genus Daptrius Vieillot, 1816
Genus Herpetotheres Vieillot, 1817
Genus Ibycter Vieillot, 1816
Genus Micrastur
G.R.Gray, 1841
Genus Milvago
Spix, 1824
Genus Phalcoboenus
d'Orbigny, 1834
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of the falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
family, Falconidae
Falconidae
The falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
. It contains the caracara
Caracara
Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae...
s, forest falcon
Forest falcon
Forest falcons are members of the genus Micrastur, part of the family Falconidae. They are endemic to the Americas, found from Mexico in the north, south through Central America and large parts of South America, and as far south as northern Argentina...
s, and Laughing Falcon
Laughing Falcon
The Laughing Falcon , also called the Snake Hawk , is a medium-sized bird of prey in the falcon family , the only member of the genus Herpetotheres. This Neotropical species is a specialist snake-eater...
. All species in this subfamily are native to the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. The composition of Falconidae is disputed, and Polyborninae is not featured in the American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
checklists for North and South American birds. The Check-list of North American Birds considers the Laughing Falcon a true falcon (subfamily Falconinae
Falconinae
Falconinae is a subfamily of the bird family Falconidae. In its traditional classification, it contains the falcons, falconets, and pygmy falcons. Depending on the authority, Falconinae may also include the caracaras and/or the Laughing Falcon....
) and replaces Polyborinae with Caracarinae
Caracara
Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae...
and Micrasturinae
Forest falcon
Forest falcons are members of the genus Micrastur, part of the family Falconidae. They are endemic to the Americas, found from Mexico in the north, south through Central America and large parts of South America, and as far south as northern Argentina...
. On the other hand, the Check-list of South American Birds classifies all caracaras as true falcons and puts the Laughing Falcon and forest falcons into the subfamily Herpetotherinae.
Genera
Genus CaracaraCaracara (genus)
Caracara is a genus of birds of prey in the family Falconidae found throughout a large part of the Americas. They are part of a group collectively referred to as caracaras...
(Merrem
Blasius Merrem
Blasius Merrem was a German naturalist.Merrem was born at Bremen, and studied at the university of Göttingen under Johann Friedrich Blumenbach. He developed an interest in zoology, particularly ornithology...
, 1826)
- C. cheriway JacquinNikolaus Joseph von JacquinNikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin or Baron Nikolaus von Jacquin. was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany....
, 1784 – Northern Crested Caracara - C. plancus (MillerJohn Frederick MillerJohn Frederick Miller was an English illustrator, mainly of botanical subjects.Miller was the son of the artist Johann Sebastian Müller . Miller, along with his brother James, produced paintings from the sketches made by Sydney Parkinson on James Cook's first voyage...
, 1777) – Southern Crested Caracara - C. lutosaGuadalupe CaracaraThe Guadalupe Caracara, Caracara lutosa, is an extinct bird of prey belonging to the falcon family . It was, together with the closely related Crested and Southern Caracara, formerly placed in the genus Polyborus. It was also known as the Quelili or the Calalie.This species inhabited Mexico's...
(Ridgway, 1876) – Guadalupe Caracara (Extinct, 1903)
Genus Daptrius Vieillot, 1816
- D. aterBlack CaracaraThe Black Caracara is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family. Its genus Daptrius is often considered monotypic today, though some also include the Red-throated Caracara otherwise separated in Ibycter....
VieillotLouis Jean Pierre VieillotLouis Jean Pierre Vieillot was a French ornithologist.Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America, and 26 genera established by him are still in use...
, 1816 – Black Caracara
Genus Herpetotheres Vieillot, 1817
- H. cachinnansLaughing FalconThe Laughing Falcon , also called the Snake Hawk , is a medium-sized bird of prey in the falcon family , the only member of the genus Herpetotheres. This Neotropical species is a specialist snake-eater...
(Linnaeus, 1758) – Laughing Falcon
Genus Ibycter Vieillot, 1816
- I. americanusRed-throated CaracaraThe Red-throated Caracara is a social species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family. It is placed in the monotypic genus Ibycter, or sometimes united in Daptrius with the Black Caracara...
(BoddaertPieter BoddaertPieter Boddaert was a Dutch physician and naturalist.Boddaert was the son of a Middelburg jurist and poet by the same name . Pieter Jr. obtained his M.D. at the University of Utrecht in 1764 and there became a lecturer on natural history. Fourteen letters survive of his correspondence with Carl...
, 1783) – Red-throated Caracara
Genus Micrastur
Forest falcon
Forest falcons are members of the genus Micrastur, part of the family Falconidae. They are endemic to the Americas, found from Mexico in the north, south through Central America and large parts of South America, and as far south as northern Argentina...
G.R.Gray, 1841
- M. ruficollis (Vieillot, 1817) – Barred Forest Falcon
- M. plumbeus Sclater, 1918 – Plumbeous Forest Falcon
- M. gilvicollis (Vieillot, 1817) – Lined Forest Falcon
- M. mintoni Whittaker, 2003 – Cryptic Forest Falcon
- M. mirandollei (SchlegelHermann SchlegelHermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history...
, 1862) – Slaty-backed Forest Falcon - M. semitorquatus (Vieillot, 1817) – Collared Forest Falcon
- M. buckleyi Swann, 1919 – Buckley's Forest Falcon
Genus Milvago
Milvago
Milvago is a genus of bird of prey in the Falconidae family.It contains the following species:* Yellow-headed Caracara, Milvago chimachima* Chimango Caracara, Milvago chimango...
Spix, 1824
- M. chimachimaYellow-headed CaracaraThe Yellow-headed Caracara is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in tropical and subtropical South America and the southern portion of Central America...
(Vieillot, 1816) – Yellow-headed Caracara - M. chimangoChimango CaracaraThe Chimango Caracara also known as Tiuque is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family.It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is a vagrant to the Falkland Islands...
(Vieillot, 1816) – Chimango Caracara
Genus Phalcoboenus
Phalcoboenus
Phalcoboenus is a small genus of birds of prey in the Falconidae family. They are found in barren, open habitats in the Andes, Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. The four species are almost entirely allopatric. The adults are distinctive, with bare yellow, orange or red facial skin and cere, and a...
d'Orbigny, 1834
- P. albogularisWhite-throated CaracaraThe White-throated Caracara is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family. It is found in grasslands and other barren habitats in the Andes of southern Chile and Argentina. It is generally uncommon to fairly common...
GouldJohn GouldJohn Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
, 1837 – White-throated Caracara - P. australisStriated CaracaraThe Striated Caracara, is a bird of prey of the Falconidae family. In the Falkland Islands it is known as the Johnny Rook.-Description:...
(GmelinJohann Friedrich GmelinJohann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
, 1788) – Striated Caracara - P. carunculatusCarunculated CaracaraThe Carunculated Caracara is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family. It is found in páramo in the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia. It is generally uncommon to fairly common. A highly opportunistic species often seen walking on the ground, it will feed on both carrion and virtually any...
Des MursMarc Athanese Parfait Oeillet Des MursMarc Athanase Parfait Oeillet Des Murs was a French ornithologist.Des Murs published Iconographie Ornithologique in 1849 and Traité général d’oologie ornithologique au point de vue de la classification, General treatise on birds eggs from the point of view of classification, in 1860-External...
, 1853 – Carunculated Caracara - P. megalopterusMountain CaracaraThe Mountain Caracara is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family. It is found in puna and páramo in the Andes, ranging from southern Ecuador, through Peru and Bolivia, to northern Argentina and Chile. It is generally uncommon to fairly common...
(MeyenFranz MeyenFranz Julius Ferdinand Meyen was a German physician and botanist.Meyen was born in Tilsit. In 1830 he wrote Phytotomie, the first review of plant anatomy...
, 1834) – Mountain Caracara