? Falconiformes
Black-shouldered Kite
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes Sharpe, 1874
Families
Accipitridae Pandionidae Falconidae Sagittariidae

The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that include the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is fraught with difficulty and the order is treated in several different ways. My own picture File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Binomial name Elanus axillaris (Latham, 1802) The Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) is a small raptor found in open habitat throughout Australia. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Binomial name Aptenodytes forsteri Gray, 1844 For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Richard Bowdler Sharpe (November 22, 1847 - December 25, 1909) was an English zoologist. ... Subfamilies Elaninae Perninae Milvinae Accipitrinae Buteoninae Aegypiinae Circinae Circaetinae The Accipitridae is one of the two main families within the order Falconiformes (the diurnal birds of prey). ... Binomial name Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a medium large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution. ... Genera Daptrius Phalcoboenus Polyborus Milvago Herpetotheres Micrastur Spiziapteryx Polihierax Microhierax Falco The family Falconidae includes about 60 species of diurnal birds of prey, notably the falcons and caracaras. ... Binomial name Sagittarius serpentarius (Miller,JF, 1779) The Secretary Bird, Sagittarius serpentarius, is an extraordinary member of the bird of prey family. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... Orders Accipitriformes     Cathartidae     Pandionidae     Accipitridae     Sagittariidae Falconiformes     Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. ...

Classification problems

Traditionally, all the raptors are grouped into 4 families in this single order. However, in Europe, it has become common to split the order into two: the falcons and caracaras remain in the order Falconiformes (about 60 species in 4 groups), while the remaining 220-odd species (including the Accipitridae—eagles, hawks, and many others) are placed in the separate order Accipitriformes. Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one. ... Species About 37; see text. ... Genera Daptrius Phalcoboenus Polyborus Milvago Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. ... Subfamilies Elaninae Perninae Milvinae Accipitrinae Buteoninae Aegypiinae Circinae Circaetinae The Accipitridae is one of the two main families within the order Falconiformes (the diurnal birds of prey). ... Eagles redirects here. ... For the politican faction referred to as hawks see Bush administration. ... In one of the most common of the several ways in which the raptors are classified, the order Accipitriformes includes most of the diurnal birds of prey: hawks, eagles, vultures, and many others: about 225 species in all. ...

The American Ornithologist's Union leaves Falconidae and Accipitridae in Falconiformes, but places the New World vultures (family Cathartidae) with the storks in Ciconiiformes following the influential Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, in which all the raptors are placed into Ciconiiformes, but the Cathartids are considered to be outside the lineage that includes other raptors. Genera Cathartes Coragyps Gymnogyps Sarcorhamphus The New World vulture family Cathartidae contains seven species found in North and South America. ... Families Ardeidae Cochlearidae Balaenicipitidae Scopidae Ciconiidae Threskiornithidae Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. ... The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical bird taxonomy based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. ...

The idea that Falconiformes should be divided into many orders is because of the suggestion that the order may not share a single lineage that is exclusive of other birds. The most controversial suggestion - but also the most well-supported one - is that Cathartidae are not Falconiformes but are related to the storks, in the separate order Ciconiiformes. However morphological evidence supports the common ancestry of the Falconiformes, and the Strigiformes may be Falconiformes as well. Families Ardeidae Cochlearidae Balaenicipitidae Scopidae Ciconiidae Threskiornithidae Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. ... For uses of the word Owl as a three letter acronym, see OWL. Families Strigidae Tytonidae An owl is any of some 200+ species of solitary nocturnal birds of prey in the order Strigiformes. ...

Characteristics

Falconiformes are known from the Middle Eocene and typically have a sharply hooked beak with a cere (soft mass) on the proximodorsal surface, housing the nostrils. Their wings are long and fairly broad, suitable for soaring flight, with the outer 4-6 primaries emarginated. The Eocene epoch (56-34 Ma) is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era. ... The beak - otherwise known as the bill or rostrum - is an external anatomical structure which serves as the mouth in some animals. ... A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. ... A Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. ...

Falconiformes have strong legs and feet with raptorial claws and an opposable hind claw. Almost all Falconiformes are carnivorous, hunting by sight during the day or at twilight. They are exceptionally long-lived, and most have low reproductive rates. Orders Accipitriformes     Cathartidae     Pandionidae     Accipitridae     Sagittariidae Falconiformes     Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. ... A claw is a curved pointed growth found at the end of a toe or finger, or in arthropods, of the tarsus. ... A carnivore (KAR-nih-vohr) meaning meat eater (Latin carn = flesh + vorare = to devour) is an animal that eats a diet consisting solely of meat, whether it comes from live animals or dead (scavenging). ... For other uses, see Reproduction (disambiguation) Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. ...

The young have a long, very fast-growing fledgling stage, followed by 3-8 weeks of nest care after first flight and 1-3 years as sexually immature adults. The sexes have conspicuously different sizes, and monogamy is the general rule. Sexual maturity is the stage at which an organism can reproduce. ... In monogamy (Greek: monos = single/only and gamos = marriage) a person has only one spouse at a time (as opposed to polygamy). ...

DNA studies mean that it is likely to be some time until a consensus can be made. The general structure of a section of DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid —usually in the form of a double helix— that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life, and most viruses. ...

See

• Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.

The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical bird taxonomy based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. ...

External links

• http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/winkler/botw/falconiformes.html