''Polyboroides'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
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 ...
. This genus has two recognized
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 ...
found in
Sub-Saharan Africa and
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. The two species are
allopatric and restricted to the
Afrotropical realm. They are generally known as harrier-hawks.
Etymology
''Polyboroides'': Genus ''Polyborus'' Vieillot, 1816; gr, -οιδης ''-oidēs'' "resembling".
Species
The genus ''Polyboroides'' has two recognized species:
[Clements, J. F. 2007. ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition''. Cornell University Press. Downloadable from Cornell Lab of Ornithology ]
/ref>
Note the double-jointed legs enabling it to hang downwards and yet reach upwards with its beak.
See also
* Harrier (bird)
References
Polyboroides,
Bird genera
Birds of prey of Sub-Saharan Africa,
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Accipitriformes-stub
