Editing Falconidae (section)

==Taxonomy and systematics==
{{See also|List of Falconidae}}
The [[family (biology)|family]] Falconidae was introduced by the English zoologist [[William Elford Leach]] in a guide to the contents of the [[British Museum]] published in 1819.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Leach | first=William Elford | author-link=William Elford Leach  | year=1819 | chapter=Eleventh Room | title=Synopsis of the Contents of the British Museum | location=London | publisher=British Museum | edition=15th | pages=63–68 [63] | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YSlhAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA63 }} The name of the author is not specified in the document, Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time.</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Bock | first=Walter J. | author-link=Walter Joseph Bock | year=1994 | title=History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names | series=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume= 222 | publisher=American Museum of Natural History | location=New York | pages=133, 245 | hdl=2246/830 | url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/830 }}<!--Linked page allows download of the 48MB pdf--><!-- Bock cites the 17th edition from 1820 but the name was included in the 15th edition published in 1819--></ref> The family is composed of three main branches: the [[Microhierax|falconets]] and true [[falcons]], the [[Caracara (subfamily)|caracara]]s, and the [[forest falcon]]s. 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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Polyborinae.html |first=P. R. |last=Myers |author2=C. S. Parr |author3=T. Jones |author4=G. S. Hammond |author5=T. A. Dewey |title=Subfamily Polyborinae (caracaras and forest falcons) |work=Animal Diversity Web |publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=2009-08-15}}</ref>

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 [[Caracara (subfamily)|Caracarinae]] and [[Forest falcon|Micrasturinae]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/full.php#Falconiformes |title=Check-list of North American Birds |work=North American Classification Committee |publisher=American Ornithologists' Union |access-date=2009-08-15 |archive-date=2011-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606012536/http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/full.php#Falconiformes |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref name=SACC200908>{{cite web|url=http://www.aou.org/checklist/south.php |title=A classification of the bird species of South America |work=South American Classification Committee |publisher=American Ornithologists' Union |access-date=2009-08-15|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801201409/http://www.aou.org/checklist/south.php |archive-date=August 1, 2009 }}</ref>

Falconinae, in its traditional classification, contains the falcons, falconets, and [[Polihierax|pygmy falcons]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Falconinae.html |first=P. R. |last=Myers |author2=C. S. Parr |author3=T. Jones |author4=G. S. Hammond |author5= T. A. Dewey |title=Subfamily Falconinae (falcons) |work=Animal Diversity Web |publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=2009-08-17}}</ref> Depending on the authority, Falconinae may also include the caracaras and/or the laughing falcon.<ref name=SACC200908 /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/full.php#Falconiformes |title=Check-list of North American Birds |work=North American Classification Committee |publisher=American Ornithologists' Union |access-date=2009-08-17 |archive-date=2011-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606012536/http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/full.php#Falconiformes |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Phylogeny===
The following cladogram is based on a comprehensive [[molecular phylogenetic]] study of the Falconidae by Jérôme Fuchs and collaborators that was published in 2015. The number of species is taken from the list of birds maintained by [[Frank Gill (ornithologist)|Frank Gill]], [[Pamela Rasmussen]] and David Donsker on behalf of the [[International Ornithological Committee]] (IOC).<ref name=fuchs2015>{{Cite journal | last1=Fuchs | first1=J. | last2=Johnson | first2=J.A. | last3=Mindell | first3=D.P. | date=2015 | title=Rapid diversification of falcons (Aves: Falconidae) due to expansion of open habitats in the Late Miocene | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=82 | pages=166–182 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2014.08.010| pmid=25256056 | bibcode=2015MolPE..82..166F }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2023 | title=Seriemas, falcons | work=IOC World Bird List Version 13.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/falcons/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=4 February 2023 }}</ref> Fuchs and collaborators recommended that the genus ''Daptrius'' should be expanded to include the genera ''Phalcoboenus'' and ''Milvago'' due to the shallow genetic divergence. This change has been adopted by the [[The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World|Clements Checklist]] but not by the IOC.<ref name=ioc/><ref name=fuchs2015/><ref>{{ cite web | last1=Clements | first1=J.F. | last2=Schulenberg | first2=T.S. | last3=Iliff | first3=M.J. | last4=Fredericks | first4=T.A. | last5=Gerbracht | first5=J.A. | last6=Lepage | first6=D. | last7=Billerman | first7=S.M. | last8=Sullivan | first8=B.L. | last9=Wood | first9=C.L. | year=2022 | title=The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2022 | url=http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ | access-date=4 February 2023 }}</ref>

{{clade| style=font-size:90%;line-height:90%    
|label1='''Falconidae'''
|1={{Clade
   |label1=Herpetotherinae
   |1={{Clade
      |1=''[[Herpetotheres]]'' – laughing falcon
      |2=''[[Micrastur]]'' – 7 species (forest falcons)
      }}
   |label2=
   |2={{Clade
      |label1=Falconinae
      |1={{Clade
         |1={{clade
            |1=''[[Polihierax]]'' – pygmy falcon
            |2=''[[Microhierax]]'' – 5 species (falconets)
            }}
         |label2=
         |2={{Clade
            |1=''[[Neohierax]]'' – white-rumped falcon
            |2=''[[Falco (bird)|Falco]]'' – 39 species (falcons and kestrels)
            }}
         }}
      |label2=Polyborinae
      |2={{Clade
         |1=''[[Spiziapteryx]]'' – spot-winged falconet
         |label2=
         |2={{Clade
            |1=''[[Caracara (genus)|Caracara]]'' – 2 species (caracaras)
            |label2=
            |2={{Clade
               |1=''[[Ibycter]]'' – red-throated caracara
               |label2=
               |2={{Clade
                  |1=''[[Phalcoboenus]]'' – 4 species (caracaras)
                  |label2=
                  |2={{Clade
                     |1=''[[Daptrius]]'' – black caracara
                     |2=''[[Milvago]]'' – 2 species (caracaras)
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}

===List of genera===
Below is list of the subfamilies and genera of the Falconidae.<ref name=ioc/>

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|-
! Subfamily
! Image
! Genus
! Species
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Herpetotherinae]]
|[[File:Micrastur mintoni - Cryptic Forest Falcon; Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Forest falcon|Micrastur]]'' {{small|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''
|-
|[[File:Lachfalke.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Herpetotheres]]'' {{small|Vieillot, 1817}} – laughing falcon
|
* [[Laughing falcon]], ''Herpetotheres cachinnans''
|-
! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| [[Caracara (subfamily)|Polyborinae]]
|[[File:Spiziapteryx circumcincta Spot-winged Falconet, Chancaní Natural Reserve, Córdoba, Argentina 02 (cropped).jpg|150px]]
|''[[Spiziapteryx]]'' {{small|Kaup, 1852}} 
|
*[[Spot-winged falconet]], ''Spiziapteryx circumcincta''
|-
|[[File:Ave Carcará.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Caracara (genus)|Caracara]]'' {{small|Merrem, 1826}} – crested caracara
|
* [[Crested caracara]], ''Caracara plancus''
* †[[Guadalupe caracara]] ''Caracara lutosa''
|-
|[[File:Red-throated Caracara.jpg|150px]]
| ''[[Ibycter]]'' {{small|Vieillot, 1816}}
|
* [[Red-throated caracara]], ''Ibycter americanus''
|-
|[[File:Gelbkopfkarakara Milvago chimachima.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Milvago]]'' {{small|Spix, 1824}} – brown caracaras
|
* [[Yellow-headed caracara]], ''Milvago chimachima''
* [[Chimango caracara]], ''Milvago chimango''
|-
|[[File:Black Caracara - Chupacacao Negro (Daptrius ater) (14909975447) (cropped).jpg|150px]]
| ''[[Daptrius]]'' {{small|Vieillot, 1816}}
|
*[[Black caracara]], '' Daptrius ater'' 
|-
|[[File:Mountain Caracara RWD.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Phalcoboenus]]'' {{small|d'Orbigny, 1834}} 
|
*[[Carunculated caracara]], ''Phalcoboenus carunculatus''
*[[Mountain caracara]], ''Phalcoboenus megalopterus''
*[[White-throated caracara]], ''Phalcoboenus albogularis''
*[[Striated caracara]], ''Phalcoboenus australis''
|-
! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| [[Falconinae]]
|[[File:Microhierax erythrogenys.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Microhierax]]'' {{small|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''
|-
|[[File:African Pygmy Falcon 002.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Polihierax]]'' {{small|Kaup, 1847}}
|
* [[Pygmy falcon]], ''Polihierax semitorquatus''
|-
|[[File:White-rumped Falcon, Preah Vihéar, Cambodia.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Neohierax]]'' {{small|Swann, 1922}}
|
* [[White-rumped falcon]], ''Neohierax insignis''
|-
|[[File:Common kestrel falco tinnunculus.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Falcon|Falco]]'' {{small|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 (bird)|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 karearea, ''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''
|-
|}

===Fossil genera===
*''[[Badiostes]]'' (Santa Cruz Early [[Miocene]] of [[Patagonia]], Argentina)<!-- Badiostes patagonicus: Evolution39:1174 -->
*Falconidae gen. et sp. indet. (Early Miocene of [[Chubut Province|Chubut]], Argentina)
*Falconidae gen. et sp. indet. (Pinturas Early/Middle Miocene of Argentina)
*''[[Pediohierax]]'' (Middle Miocene of [[Nebraska]], US) – formerly ''Falco ramenta''<!-- Auk104:270 -->
* Falconidae gen. et sp. indet. (Cerro Bandera Late Miocene of [[Neuquén]], Argentina)<ref>[[PVPH]] 465: a [[phalanges|phalanx]] 1 of the middle toe. A caracara? Possibly belongs in extant genus. Kramarz, Alejandro: Garrido, Alberto; Forasiepi, Analía; Bond, Mariano & Tambussi, Claudia (2005): Estratigrafía y vertebrados (Aves y Mammalia) de la Formación Cerro Bandera, Mioceno Temprano de la Provincia del Neuquén, Argentina. ''Revista Geológica de Chile'' '''32'''(2): 273–291. [http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0716-02082005000200006&lng=es&nrm=iso HTML fulltext]</ref>
*''"Sushkinia" pliocaena'' (Early [[Pliocene]] of [[Pavlodar]], [[Kazakhstan]]) – belongs in ''Falco''?
*''[[Thegornis]]'' (Miocene of South America)