The typical falconets, ''Microhierax'', are a

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 ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

. They are found in southeast Asia and the smallest members of

Falconiformes The order Falconiformes () is represented by the extant family Falconidae (falcons and caracaras) and a handful of enigmatic Paleogene species. Traditionally, the other bird of prey families Cathartidae (New World vultures and condors), Sagitt ...

, averaging about in length and in weight. The smallest members of the genus are the relatively widespread black-thighed falconet, and the white-fronted falconet on the island of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The first description by a European ornithologist of a falconet from this group was published by George Edwards in 1750, as "the little black and orange colour'd Indian hawk". It was from a specimen that had been collected in Bengal and sent to the King's physician, Dr Mead. In 1758

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

used the illustration and description by Edwards to formally describe the species under the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Falco cærulescens'' In 1760 the French naturalist

Mathurin Jacques Brisson Mathurin Jacques Brisson (; 30 April 1723 – 23 June 1806) was a French zoologist and natural philosopher. Brisson was born at Fontenay-le-Comte. The earlier part of his life was spent in the pursuit of natural history; his published works ...

also used Edwards' publication to describe '. Although the white collar was not mentioned, the English ornithologist

Richard Bowdler Sharpe Richard Bowdler Sharpe (22 November 1847 – 25 December 1909) was an English zoologist and ornithologist who worked as curator of the bird collection at the British Museum of natural history. In the course of his career he published several mono ...

believed that this was the same

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

that we now call the collared falconet. In 1824, Vigors proposed a new genus ''Ierax'', writing "whoever has seen that beautiful species, the smallest of its race, ''F. cærulescens'', Linn., now rendered familiar to us by the accurate and splendid illustrations of Dr. Horsfield, will at once acknowledge its separation from every other established genus of its family." Later authors rendered the name ''Hierax''. Sharpe coined the name ''Microhierax'' in 1874, from the Greek meaning "tiny hawk". By this time, four species were known: ''M. cærulescens'', ''M. fringillarius'', ''M. melanoleucus'', and ''M. erythrogenys''. He lists Horsfield's specimen "''Falco cærulescens''" as being actually ''M. fringillarius'', making the latter the type of the genus. A fifth species, the white-fronted falconet ''M. latifrons'', was described by Sharpe in 1879.Pag
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Extant Species

References

External links

* A. Pelletier (illustrator), C. harles JosephHullmandel (lithographer) 1822. Illustration of ''Falco cærulescens'' from Java BHL_(Smithsonian)BHL(Singapore)
_Plate_35_in_ *_Section_''Falco_cærulescens'',_page_13
IABHL
in__"The_drawing_of_Edwards_was_made_from_a_bird_sent_from_Bengal._The_Javan_specimens_are_somewhat_smaller,_and_differently_marked._They_appear_to_form_a_distinct_variety..." Microhierax.html" ;"title="ater ''Microhierax fringillarius''
BHL (Smithsonian)BHL(Singapore)
Plate 35 in * Section ''Falco cærulescens'', page 13
IABHL
in "The drawing of Edwards was made from a bird sent from Bengal. The Javan specimens are somewhat smaller, and differently marked. They appear to form a distinct variety..." Microhierax"> Bird genera Birds of prey of Asia, * Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Richard Bowdler Sharpe {{falconiformes-stub