''Milvago'' 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 predators h ...

in the family

Falconidae The falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae (representing all extant species in the order Falconiformes). The family is divided into three subfamilies, Herpetotherinae, which inclu ...

Species

''Milvago'' contains two extant species: They are native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, with ''M. chimachima'' just reaching to the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...

and into

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, though recently having expanded its range into the northern part of the country. Prehistorically the genus extended much further north into

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

, where it might have become extinct as late as after the arrival of the first humans in the early

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

, though there is no evidence for this at present and they more likely disappeared already during the last glacial period. ;Fossil species * †''

Milvago brodkorbi ''Milvago'' is a genus of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Species ''Milvago'' contains two extant species: They are native to South America and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, with ''M. chimachima'' just reaching to the Isthm ...

'' (Late Pleistocene of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

) * †''

Milvago alexandri ''Milvago'' is a genus of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Species ''Milvago'' contains two extant species: They are native to South America and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, with ''M. chimachima'' just reaching to the Isthm ...

'' (Late Pleistocene of

, West Indies) * †''

Milvago carbo ''Milvago'' is a genus of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Species ''Milvago'' contains two extant species: They are native to South America and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, with ''M. chimachima'' just reaching to the Isthmus ...

,'' Cuban caracara (Holocene of

, West Indies) *†''

Milvago diazfrancoi ''Milvago'' is a genus of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Species ''Milvago'' contains two extant species: They are native to South America and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, with ''M. chimachima'' just reaching to the Isthm ...

'' (Late Pleistocene of Cuba) A

paleosubspecies A chronospecies is a species derived from a sequential development pattern that involves continual and uniform changes from an extinct ancestral form on an evolutionary scale. The sequence of alterations eventually produces a population that is p ...

of the

yellow-headed caracara The yellow-headed caracara (''Daptrius chimachima'') is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in tropical and subtropical South America and the southern portion of Central America. Unlike the falcons in the same family, the caraca ...

from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

is also known.

References

Bird genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{falconiformes-stub