Falconinae is a subfamily of falconid birds of prey that includes 44 species in three genera. It includes ''

Microhierax The typical falconets, ''Microhierax'', are a bird of prey genus in the family Falconidae. They are found in southeast Asia and the smallest members of Falconiformes, averaging about in length and in weight. The smallest members of the genus ar ...

'' (the typical falconets), ''

Polihierax The pygmy falcons, ''Polihierax'', are a bird of prey genus in the family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose o ...

'' (the pygmy falcons), and '' Falco'' (the falcons). Molecular data since 2015 has found support in the grouping of these genera, with ''Polihierax'' being paraphyletic in respect to ''Falco''. Falconinae and their sister taxon,

Polyborinae Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in subfamily Polyborinae with the forest falcons, but are sometimes considered to constitute their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or classified as members of t ...

, split off from

Herpetotherinae Herpetotherinae is a subfamily of falconid birds of prey that includes eight species in two genera '' Herpetotheres'' (laughing falcons) and '' Micrastur'' (forest falcons). Both genera are found in South America and the subfamily is basal to th ...

around 30.2 million years ago in the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

epoch. Falconines split off from the polyborines around 20 million years ago in the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

epoch.

References

Birds of prey Bird subfamilies {{Falconiformes-stub