''Henicopernis'' is a genus of
bird of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...
in the family
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae is one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-s ...
.
Species
It contains the following species:
Both species are endemic to New Guinea. Genetic research has found that they are closely related to the Australian endemic
square-tailed kite
The square-tailed kite (''Lophoictinia isura'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers.
Taxonomy
German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup descr ...
(''Lophoictinia isura'') and
black-breasted buzzard (''Hamirostra melanosternon''), all sharing a 3-base-pair deletion in the RAG-1 gene. The four species form a monophyletic clade sister to ''
Aviceda'' within the subfamily
Perninae
The raptor subfamily Perninae includes a number of medium-sized broad-winged species. These are birds of warmer climates, although the ''Pernis'' species (European honey buzzard and crested honey buzzard) have a more extensive range.
Several of ...
. It has been proposed that they could be united into a single genus, ''Hamirostra'' having precedence.
[ (open access)]
References
Bird genera
*
Taxa named by George Robert Gray
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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