Buteoninae Explained

The Buteoninae are a subfamily of birds of prey which consists of medium to large, broad-winged species.

They have large, powerful, hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a distance.

This subfamily contains the buzzards (buteonine hawks) with great diversity in appearance and form and some appearing eagle-like, with at least 50 species included overall in the subfamily. At one time, several types were grouped, including large assemblages such as booted eagles, but modern studies using mitochondrial DNA clarified that this subfamily was smaller than formerly classified.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Systematics

The subfamily Buteoninae was introduced (as "Buteonina") by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Vigors in 1825 with Buteo as the type genus.^{[4] [5]} The subfamily includes about 79 currently recognized species.^[6] Unlike the many lineages of Accipitridae which seem to have radiated out of Africa or South Asia, the Buteoninae clearly originated in the Americas based on fossil records and current species distributions (more than 75% of the extant raptors from this lineage are found in the Americas).^{[7] [8]}

A genus level cladogram of the Buteoninae is shown below. It is based on a molecular phylogenetic study of the family Accipitridae by Therese Catanach and collaborators that was published in 2024.^[9]

Genera

Tribe	Image	Genus	Species
Milvini -milvine kites and sea and fish eagles.		Milvus	Red kite, Milvus milvus Cape Verde kite, Milvus (milvus) fasciicauda extinct (2000) Black kite, Milvus migrans Black-eared kite, Milvus (migrans) lineatus Yellow-billed kite, Milvus aegyptius
		Haliastur	Brahminy kite, Haliastur indus Whistling kite, Haliastur sphenurus
		Haliaeetus	Steller's sea eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus Pallas's fish eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus White-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
		Icthyophaga	White-bellied sea eagle Icthyophaga leucogaster Sanford's sea eagle Icthyophaga sanfordi African fish eagle Icthyophaga vocifer Madagascar fish eagle Icthyophaga vociferoides
Buteonini		Butastur	Rufous-winged buzzard (B. liventer) Grasshopper buzzard (B. rufipennis) White-eyed buzzard (B. teesa) Grey-faced buzzard (B. indicus)
		Ictinia	Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) Plumbeous kite (Ictinia plumbea)
		Geranospiza	Crane hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens)
		Busarellus	Black-collared hawk (Busarellus nigricollis)
		Rostrhamus	Snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
		Helicolestes	Slender-billed kite (Helicolestes hamatus)
		Morphnarchus	Barred hawk (Morphnarchus princeps)
		Cryptoleucopteryx	Plumbeous hawk (Cryptoleucopteryx plumbea)
		Buteogallus	Slate-colored hawk Buteogallus schistaceus White-necked hawk Buteogallus lacernulatus Rufous crab hawk, Buteogallus aequinoctialis Common black hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus Mangrove black hawk, Buteogallus (anthracinus) subtilis – formerly considered a distinct species, but now considered a subspecies. Cuban black hawk, Buteogallus gundlachii – formerly included in B. anthracinus Great black hawk, Buteogallus urubitinga Savanna hawk, Buteogallus meridionalis Chaco eagle, Buteogallus coronatus Solitary eagle, Buteogallus solitarius
		Rupornis	Roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris)
		Parabuteo	Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) White-rumped hawk (Parabuteo leucorrhous)
		Geranoaetus	White-tailed hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) Variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) Black-chested buzzard-eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus)
		Pseudastur	Mantled hawk (Pseudastur polionotus) White hawk (Pseudastur albicollis) Gray-backed hawk (Pseudastur occidentalis)
		Leucopternis	Semiplumbeous hawk (Leucopternis semiplumbeus) Black-faced hawk (Leucopternis melanops) White-browed hawk (Leucopternis kuhli)
		Buteo	Common buzzard, Buteo buteo Eastern buzzard, Buteo japonicus Himalayan buzzard, Buteo refectus Cape Verde buzzard, Buteo bannermani Socotra buzzard, Buteo socotraensis Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis Long-legged buzzard, Buteo rufinus Rough-legged buzzard, Buteo lagopus Ferruginous hawk, Buteo regalis Red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus Broad-winged hawk, Buteo platypterus Swainson's hawk, Buteo swainsoni Ridgway's hawk, Buteo ridgwayi Short-tailed hawk, Buteo brachyurus White-throated hawk, Buteo albigula Galápagos hawk, Buteo galapagoensis Gray-lined hawk, Buteo nitidus Gray hawk, Buteo plagiatus Zone-tailed hawk, Buteo albonotatus Hawaiian hawk, Buteo solitarius Rufous-tailed hawk, Buteo ventralis Mountain buzzard, Buteo oreophilus Forest buzzard, Buteo trizonatus Madagascar buzzard, Buteo brachypterus Upland buzzard, Buteo hemilasius Red-necked buzzard, Buteo auguralis Jackal buzzard, Buteo rufofuscus Augur buzzard, Buteo augur

Extinct Genera

• Bermuteo
• Garganoaetus

External links

• Accipitridae videos on the Internet Bird Collection

Notes and References

1. Lerner, H. R., Klaver, M. C., & Mindell, D. P. (2008). Molecular phylogenetics of the Buteonine birds of prey (Accipitridae). The Auk, 125(2), 304-315.
2. Lerner, H. R., & Mindell, D. P. (2005). Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 37(2), 327-346.
3. Lerner, H., Christidis, L., Gamauf, A., Griffiths, C., Haring, E., Huddleston, C. J., Kabra, S., Kocum, A., Krosby, M., Kvaloy, K., Mindell, D., Rasmussen, P., Rov, N., Wadleigh, R., Michael Wink & Gjershaug, J. O. (2017). Phylogeny and new taxonomy of the Booted Eagles (Accipitriformes: Aquilinae). Zootaxa 4216 (4), 301-320.
4. Vigors . Nicholas Aylward . Nicholas Aylward Vigors . 1825 . Sketches in ornithology ; or, observations on the leading affinities of some of the more extensive groups of birds . Zoological Journal . 2 . 368–405 [393] .
5. Book: Bock, Walter J. . Walter Joseph Bock . 1994 . History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names . Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History . 222 . American Museum of Natural History . New York . 172, 264 . 2246/830 .
6. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . December 2023 . Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors . IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 3 April 2024 .
7. Brodkorb, P. (1964). Catalogue of fossil birds: Part 2 (Anseriformes through Galliformes). University of Florida.
8. Lerner, H. R.. Klaver, M. C.. Mindell, D. P.. amp. Molecular phylogenetics of the Buteonine birds of prey (Accipitridae). The Auk. 125. 2. 304–315. 10.1525/auk.2008.06161. 2008. 2019-02-28. 2021-08-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20210831200424/http://www.globalraptors.org/grin/researchers/uploads/203/lerner_etal_2008_auk.pdf. dead.
9. Catanach . T.A. . Halley . M.R. . Pirro . S. . 2024 . Enigmas no longer: using ultraconserved elements to place several unusual hawk taxa and address the non-monophyly of the genus Accipiter (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) . Biological Journal of the Linnean Society . blae028 . 10.1093/biolinnean/blae028.