Buteogallus
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''Buteogallus'' is a
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 ...
of
birds 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
. All members of this genus are essentially
neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...
, but the distribution of a single species extends slightly into the extreme southwestern United States. Many of the species are fond of large
crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
s and even patrol long stretches of shore or riverbank on foot where such prey abounds, but some have a rather different lifestyle. Unlike many other genera of raptor, some members are referred to as "hawks", and others as "eagles". Most of the species have a characteristic tail pattern. This consists of a black base, a wide white middle band, a wide black band, and a quite narrow white band on the feathertips that is often hard to discern or may be lost when the feathers are very worn. Only the
white-necked hawk The white-necked hawk (''Buteogallus lacernulatus'') is a Vulnerable species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Brazil.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claram ...
and the
rufous crab hawk The rufous crab hawk (''Buteogallus aequinoctialis'') or rufous crab-hawk, is a Near Threatened species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Clara ...
have a very different tail patterns (see also below).


Taxonomy and species

The genus ''Buteogallus'' was introduced in 1830 by the French naturalist
René Lesson René-Primevère Lesson (20 March 1794 – 28 April 1849) was a French surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist. Biography Lesson was born at Rochefort, and entered the Naval Medical School in Rochefort at the age of sixteen. He ...
to accommodate the
rufous crab hawk The rufous crab hawk (''Buteogallus aequinoctialis'') or rufous crab-hawk, is a Near Threatened species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Clara ...
, which is therefore the
type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
. The name is a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsButeo ''Buteo'' is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in the New World (Etymology: ''Buteo'' is the Latin name o ...
'' introduced in 1779 by
Bernard Germain de Lacépède Bernard-Germain-Étienne de La Ville-sur-Illon, comte de Lacépède or La Cépède (; 26 December 17566 October 1825) was a French naturalist and an active freemason. He is known for his contribution to the Comte de Buffon's great work, the ...
for the buzzards and the genus '' Gallus'' introduced in 1760 by
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 ...
for the junglefowl. The genus now contains nine species. The solitary eagles (formerly ''
Harpyhaliaetus ''Harpyhaliaetus'' is a former genus of eagles. Recent studies have shown that the solitary eagle The solitary eagle or montane solitary eagle (''Buteogallus solitarius'') is a large Neotropical eagle. It is also known as the black solitary e ...
'') are a more inland relative of the "black" group of ''Buteogallus'' – in
phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...
they are essentially hefty common black-hawks with lighter body plumage and in one species a small crest. Insofar as there are differences in
anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
, these seem to be related to the different prey they hunt (namely
reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
s). Together with the
savanna hawk The savanna hawk (''Buteogallus meridionalis'') is a large raptor found in open savanna and swamp edges. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Heterospizias''. It breeds from Panama and Trinidad south to Bolivia, Uruguay and central Argentina ...
, they seem to be close to some species that were uncomfortably placed in ''
Leucopternis ''Leucopternis'' is a Neotropical genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. They are associated with tropical forest, and are uncommon or rare. Their plumage is largely black or gray above and white below, and they have distinctive orang ...
''. As that genus was apparently
polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...
, the present article follows a proposal to unite the solitary eagles as well as the slate-colored hawk (''"Leucopternis" schistaceus'') with ''Buteogallus'', to agree with the morphological and
mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA ...
sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is calle ...
data., with the addition of the white-necked hawk, ''"Leucopternis" lacernulatus''. For a long time various systematists have proposed moving the slate-colored hawk to ''Buteogallus''. Together with the crab hawks and solitary eagles form a sequence of plumage patterns that nicely agrees with the DNA-based phylogeny: the slate-colored hawk looks very much like a smaller, shorter-legged and lighter common black hawk. The case of the white-necked hawk is more puzzling. It is visually and
ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
ly almost identical to the
sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...
mantled hawk The mantled hawk (''Pseudastur polionotus'') is a South American species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Taxonomy and evolution This hawk was formerly placed in the genus ''Leucopternis'' and was known as ''Leucopternis polionota'' o ...
(''Leucopternis polionotus'') and some
allopatric Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...
white hawk The white hawk (''Pseudastur albicollis'') is a bird of prey breeding in the tropical New World of the family Accipitridae. Though it is commonly placed in the subfamily Buteoninae, the validity of this group is doubtful and currently under re ...
s (''L. albicollis'') but differs in tail color. According to the mtDNA data, it is very closely related to the savanna hawk, which is visually dissimilar, appearing like a very light ''Buteogallus'' which has an ochre-grey coloration due to abundant
pheomelanin Melanin (; from el, μέλας, melas, black, dark) is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Eumelanin is produced through a multistage chemical process known as melanogenesis, where the oxidation of the amino ...
s. Either there has been strong
convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...
in plumage and ecology - perhaps a case of
mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...
- between the white-necked and the mantled hawks, or the mtDNA data is misleading due to ancient
hybrid introgression Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, in genetics is the transfer of genetic material from one species into the gene pool of another by the repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parent species. Intr ...
. In the respect, the white-necked hawk specimen sampled showed indications of
heteroplasmy Heteroplasmy is the presence of more than one type of organellar genome (mitochondrial DNA or plastid DNA) within a cell or individual. It is an important factor in considering the severity of mitochondrial diseases. Because most eukaryotic cells ...
. The placement of the peculiarly
apomorph In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...
ic
rufous crab hawk The rufous crab hawk (''Buteogallus aequinoctialis'') or rufous crab-hawk, is a Near Threatened species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Clara ...
in regard to all these birds must be considered unresolved for the time being.


Fossil record

The
fossil record A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
of ''Buteogallus'' has meanwhile turned out to be quite rich indeed, with many species being erroneously assigned to other genera at first. The genus – like many buteonines of today – probably succeeded earlier birds of prey during 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 ...
and never seems to have occurred outside the
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...
. From the time of the last ice age, an array of prehistoric species is known, some of them very large. On
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 ...
, a particularly gigantic species survived deep into the last ice age, but probably not until human settlement. *†'' Buteogallus enectus'' (Middle Miocene; Sheep Creek, Sioux County, USA) *†'' Buteogallus sodalis'' (Middle Pleistocene; Fossil Lake, Oregon) – formerly in '' Aquila'' *†''Buteogallus fragilis'' (Late Pleistocene; Southwestern USA) – formerly in ''
Buteo ''Buteo'' is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in the New World (Etymology: ''Buteo'' is the Latin name o ...
'' or '' Geranoaetus'' *†'' Buteogallus milleri'' (Late Pleistocene of Southwestern, USA) – formerly in ''Buteo'' or ''Geranoaetus'' *†''
Buteogallus royi ''Buteogallus'' is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. All members of this genus are essentially neotropical, but the distribution of a single species extends slightly into the extreme southwestern United States. Many of the sp ...
'' (Late Pleistocene of Cuba) *†''
Buteogallus borrasi ''Buteogallus borrasi'' is a species of giant buteonine hawk which went extinct in the early Holocene. Formerly endemic to Cuba, this huge bird of prey probably fed on Pleistocene megafauna. Little is known about its appearance and ecology, so no ...
'' (
prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
) – formerly in ''Aquila'' or ''
Titanohierax ''Titanohierax gloveralleni'' is an extinct hawk species known from fossils found in Cuba, Hispaniola (today the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and The Bahamas. Description ''Titanohierax'' was a very large hawk, with a measured fore-claw len ...
'' *†''
Buteogallus daggetti ''Buteogallus daggetti'', occasionally called "Daggett's eagle" or the "walking eagle", is an extinct species of long-legged hawk which lived in southwest North America during the Pleistocene. Initially believed to be some sort of carrion-eating ...
'' (prehistoric) *†'' Buteogallus woodwardi'' (Late Pleistocene, Southwestern USA) - formerly ''Amplibuteo'' *†'' Buteogallus hibbardi'' (Late Pleistocene, Peru) - formerly ''Amplibuteo'' *†'' Buteogallus concordatus'' (Late Pliocene of Florida) - formerly ''Amplibuteo'' *†'' Buteogallus irpus'' (Late Pleistocene of Cuba and Dominican Republic)


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q852351 Hawks Bird genera Taxa named by René Lesson Taxonomy articles created by Polbot