'' Pernis '' is a genus of birds in the

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...

subfamily Perninae. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ''pernes'' περνης, a term used by Aristotle for a bird of prey. They breed in temperate and warmer climates of the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

, and are specialist feeders on wasp larvae. The two temperate species, the European and crested honey buzzards, are migratory. They breed in woodland, and are often inconspicuous except when displaying. The members of this genus have plumage which mimics that of juvenile

common buzzard The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. A member of the genus ''Buteo'', it is a member of the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across ...

s or of '' Nisaetus'' hawk-eagles. It has been suggested that the similarity has arisen as a partial protection against predation by larger raptors such as goshawks, which may be wary about attacking what appears to be a better-protected species with stronger bill and talons than the honey buzzards actually possess.

Shlomit Shlomit ( he, שלומית) is a village in southern Israel. Located in the Negev desert, around 700 meters from the Egyptian border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The village ...

Species

It consists of four medium-sized, broad-winged species. Comparing sequences from a short subsection of the mitochondrial ''cytb'' gene, Gamulf and Haring found five

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

s: ''apivorus'', ''steerei–winkleri'', ''celebensis'', ''philippensis–orientalis–ruficollis'', and ''torquatus–ptilorhynchus–palawanensis''. They proposed splitting the ''steerei–winkleri'' group from ''P. celebensis'' into a new species ''Pernis steerei'', but felt that splitting ''Pernis ptilorhynchus'' would be "premature" given the lack of morphological differences.PDF
/ref> Despite the name "crested honey buzzard", the subspecies ''P. p. orientalis'', ''P. p. philippensis'', and ''P. p. palawanensis'' all lack crests.

References

*''British Birds'', volume 99, March 2006 *Ferguson-Lees, Christie, Franklin, Mead and Burton Raptors of the World *Gensbøl, Benny (1989). ''Collins guide to the Birds of Prey of Britain and Europe North Africa and the Middle East'', William Collins Sons and Co Ltd.

Notes

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6377551 Bird genera Birds of prey of Eurasia Taxa named by Georges Cuvier