Falconidae

Falcons and caracaras are small to medium-sized birds of prey, ranging in size from the black-thighed falconet, which can weigh as little as 35 grams (1.2 oz), to the gyrfalcon, which can weigh as much as 1,735 grams (61.2 oz). They have strongly hooked bills, sharply curved talons and excellent eyesight. The plumage is usually composed of browns, whites, chestnut, black and grey, often with barring of patterning. There is little difference in the plumage of males and females, although a few species have some sexual dimorphism in boldness of plumage.

The family has a cosmopolitan distribution across the world, absent only from the densest forest of central Africa, some remote oceanic islands, the high Arctic and Antarctica. Some species have exceptionally wide ranges, particularly the cosmopolitan peregrine falcon, which ranges from Greenland to Fiji and has the widest natural breeding distribution of any bird. Other species have more restricted distributions, particularly island endemics like the Mauritius kestrel. Most habitat types are occupied, from tundra to rainforest and deserts, although they are generally more birds of open country and even forest species tend to prefer broken forest and forest edges. Some species, mostly in the genus Falco, are fully migratory, with some species summering in Eurasia and wintering entirely in Africa, other species may be partly migratory. The Amur falcon has one of the longest migrations, moving from East Asia to southern Africa.[1]

Falcons and caracaras have a complicated relationship with humans. In ancient Egypt they were deified in the form of Horus, the sky and sun god who was the ancestor of the pharaohs. Caracaras also formed part of the legends of the Aztecs. Falcons were important in the (formerly often royal) sport of falconry. They have also been persecuted for their predation on game and farm animals, and that persecution has led to the extinction of at least one species, the Guadalupe caracara. Several insular species have declined dramatically, none more so than the Mauritius kestrel, which at one time numbered no more than four birds. Around five species of falcon are considered vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN, including the saker falcon.

The family Falconidae was introduced by the English zoologist William Elford Leach in a guide to the contents of the British Museum published in 1820.[5][6] The family is composed of three main branches: the falconets and true falcons, the caracaras, and the forest falcons. Differences exist between authorities in how these are grouped into subfamilies. Also, the placement of the laughing falcon (Herpetotheres) and the spot-winged falconet (Spiziapteryx) varies. One common approach uses two subfamilies Polyborinae and Falconinae. The first contains the caracaras, forest falcons, and laughing falcon. All species in this group are native to the Americas.[7]

The composition of Falconidae is disputed, and Polyborninae is not featured in the American Ornithologists' Union checklists for North and South American birds that are produced by its Classification Committees (NACC and SACC). The Check-list of North American Birds considers the laughing falcon a true falcon (Falconinae) and replaces Polyborinae with Caracarinae and Micrasturinae.[8] 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.[9]

Falconinae, in its traditional classification, contains the falcons, falconets, and pygmy falcons.[10] Depending on the authority, Falconinae may also include the caracaras and/or the laughing falcon.[9][11]

List of genera

Below is list of the subfamilies and genera of the Falconidae.[13]

Subfamily	Image	Genus	Species
Herpetotherinae		Micrastur G.R. Gray, 1841 – forest falcons	Barred forest falcon, Micrastur ruficollis Plumbeous forest falcon, Micrastur plumbeus Lined forest falcon, Micrastur gilvicollis Cryptic forest falcon, Micrastur mintoni Slaty-backed forest falcon, Micrastur mirandollei Collared forest falcon, Micrastur semitorquatus Buckley's forest falcon, Micrastur buckleyi
		Herpetotheres Vieillot, 1817 – laughing falcon	Laughing falcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans
Polyborinae		Spiziapteryx Kaup, 1852	Spot-winged falconet, Spiziapteryx circumcincta
		Caracara Merrem, 1826 – crested caracara	Crested caracara, Caracara plancus
		Ibycter Vieillot, 1816	Red-throated caracara, Ibycter americanus
		Milvago Spix, 1824 – brown caracaras	Yellow-headed caracara, Milvago chimachima Chimango caracara, Milvago chimango
		Daptrius Vieillot, 1816	Black caracara, Daptrius ater
		Phalcoboenus d'Orbigny, 1834	Carunculated caracara, Phalcoboenus carunculatus Mountain caracara, Phalcoboenus megalopterus White-throated caracara, Phalcoboenus albogularis Striated caracara, Phalcoboenus australis
Falconinae		Microhierax Sharpe, 1874 – typical falconets	Collared falconet, Microhierax caerulescens Black-thighed falconet, Microhierax fringillarius White-fronted falconet, Microhierax latifrons Philippine falconet, Microhierax erythrogenys Pied falconet, Microhierax melanoleucus
		Polihierax Kaup, 1847	Pygmy falcon, Polihierax semitorquatus
		Neohierax Swann, 1922	White-rumped falcon, Neohierax insignis
		Falco Linnaeus, 1758 – true falcons, hobbies and kestrels	Lesser kestrel, Falco naumanni Common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus Rock kestrel, Falco rupicolus Malagasy kestrel, Falco newtoni Mauritius kestrel, Falco punctatus Reunion kestrel, Falco duboisi Seychelles kestrel, Falco araeus Spotted kestrel, Falco moluccensis Nankeen kestrel or Australian kestrel, Falco cenchroides American kestrel or "sparrow hawk", Falco sparverius Greater kestrel, Falco rupicoloides Fox kestrel, Falco alopex Grey kestrel, Falco ardosiaceus Dickinson's kestrel, Falco dickinsoni Banded kestrel, Falco zoniventris Red-necked falcon, Falco chicquera Red-footed falcon, Falco vespertinus Amur falcon, Falco amurensis Eleonora's falcon, Falco eleonorae Sooty falcon, Falco concolor Aplomado falcon, Falco femoralis Merlin or "pigeon hawk", Falco columbarius Bat falcon, Falco rufigularis Orange-breasted falcon, Falco deiroleucus Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo African hobby, Falco cuvierii Oriental hobby, Falco severus Australian hobby or little falcon, Falco longipennis New Zealand falcon or Ngarangi or kārearea, Falco novaeseelandiae Brown falcon, Falco berigora Grey falcon, Falco hypoleucos Black falcon, Falco subniger Lanner falcon, Falco biarmicus Laggar falcon, Falco jugger Saker falcon, Falco cherrug Gyrfalcon, Falco rusticolus Prairie falcon, Falco mexicanus Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus Taita falcon, Falco fasciinucha

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Falconidae.

• Falconidae videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection