Buteoninae

The Buteoninae are a subfamily of birds of prey which consists of medium to large, broad-winged species.

Buteoninae
Western red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis calurus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Subfamily:	Buteoninae Vigors, 1825
Genera
About 19, see article

They have large, powerful, hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a distance.

This subfamily contains the buzzards (buteonine hawks) with great diversity in appearance and form and some appearing eagle-like, with at least 50 species included overall in the subfamily. At one time, several types were grouped, including large assemblages such as booted eagles, but modern studies using mitochondrial DNA clarified that this subfamily was smaller than formerly classified.^[1][2][3]

Systematics

The subfamily Buteoninae was introduced (as "Buteonina") by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Vigors in 1825 with Buteo as the type genus.^[4][5] The subfamily includes about 79 currently recognized species.^[6] Unlike the many lineages of Accipitridae which seem to have radiated out of Africa or South Asia, the Buteoninae clearly originated in the Americas based on fossil records and current species distributions (more than 75% of the extant raptors from this lineage are found in the Americas).^[7][8]

A genus level cladogram of the Buteoninae is shown below. It is based on a molecular phylogenetic study of the family Accipitridae by Therese Catanach and collaborators that was published in 2024.^[9]

Buteoninae

Milvini Milvus – kites (3 species - with split of yellow-billed) Haliastur – kites (2 species) Haliaeetus – sea and fish eagles (4 species) Icthyophaga – sea and fish eagles (6 species) Buteonini Butastur – buzzards (4 species) Ictinia – kites (2 species) Geranospiza – crane hawk Busarellus – black-collared hawk Rostrhamus – snail kite Helicolestes – slender-billed kite Morphnarchus – barred hawk Cryptoleucopteryx – plumbeous hawk Buteogallus – hawks and eagles (9 species) Rupornis – roadside hawk (placement uncertain) Parabuteo – hawks (2 species) Geranoaetus – hawks (3 species) Pseudastur – hawks (3 species) Leucopternis – hawks (3 species) Buteo – hawks and buzzards (28 species)

Genera

Tribe	Image	Genus	Species
Milvini Vigors 1824-milvine kites and sea and fish eagles.		Milvus Lacépède, 1799	Red kite, Milvus milvus Cape Verde kite, Milvus (milvus) fasciicauda extinct (2000) Black kite, Milvus migrans Black-eared kite, Milvus (migrans) lineatus Yellow-billed kite, Milvus aegyptius
		Haliastur Selby, 1840	Brahminy kite, Haliastur indus Whistling kite, Haliastur sphenurus
		Haliaeetus Savigny, 1809	Steller's sea eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus Pallas's fish eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus White-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
		Icthyophaga Lesson, 1843	White-bellied sea eagle Icthyophaga leucogaster Sanford's sea eagle Icthyophaga sanfordi African fish eagle Icthyophaga vocifer Madagascar fish eagle Icthyophaga vociferoides Grey-headed fish eagle Icthyophaga ichthyaetus Lesser fish eagle Icthyophaga humilis
Buteonini Vigors 1824		Butastur Hodgson, 1843	Rufous-winged buzzard (B. liventer) Grasshopper buzzard (B. rufipennis) White-eyed buzzard (B. teesa) Grey-faced buzzard (B. indicus)
		Ictinia Vieillot, 1816	Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) Plumbeous kite (Ictinia plumbea)
		Geranospiza Kaup, 1847	Crane hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens)
		Busarellus Lesson, 1843	Black-collared hawk (Busarellus nigricollis)
		Rostrhamus Lesson, 1830	Snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
		Helicolestes Bangs & Penard, 1918	Slender-billed kite (Helicolestes hamatus)
		Morphnarchus Ridgway, 1920	Barred hawk (Morphnarchus princeps)
		Cryptoleucopteryx Amaral et al., 2009	Plumbeous hawk (Cryptoleucopteryx plumbea)
		Buteogallus Lesson, 1830	Slate-colored hawk Buteogallus schistaceus White-necked hawk Buteogallus lacernulatus Rufous crab hawk, Buteogallus aequinoctialis Common black hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus Mangrove black hawk, Buteogallus (anthracinus) subtilis – formerly considered a distinct species, but now considered a subspecies. Cuban black hawk, Buteogallus gundlachii – formerly included in B. anthracinus Great black hawk, Buteogallus urubitinga Savanna hawk, Buteogallus meridionalis Chaco eagle, Buteogallus coronatus Solitary eagle, Buteogallus solitarius
		Rupornis Kaup, 1844	Roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris)
		Parabuteo Ridgway, 1874	Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) White-rumped hawk (Parabuteo leucorrhous)
		Geranoaetus Kaup, 1844	White-tailed hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) Variable hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) Black-chested buzzard-eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus)
		Pseudastur Blyth, 1849	Mantled hawk (Pseudastur polionotus) White hawk (Pseudastur albicollis) Gray-backed hawk (Pseudastur occidentalis)
		Leucopternis Kaup, 1847	Semiplumbeous hawk (Leucopternis semiplumbeus) Black-faced hawk (Leucopternis melanops) White-browed hawk (Leucopternis kuhli)
		Buteo Lacépède, 1799	Common buzzard, Buteo buteo Eastern buzzard, Buteo japonicus Himalayan buzzard, Buteo refectus Cape Verde buzzard, Buteo bannermani Socotra buzzard, Buteo socotraensis Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis Long-legged buzzard, Buteo rufinus Rough-legged buzzard, Buteo lagopus Ferruginous hawk, Buteo regalis Red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus Broad-winged hawk, Buteo platypterus Swainson's hawk, Buteo swainsoni Ridgway's hawk, Buteo ridgwayi Short-tailed hawk, Buteo brachyurus White-throated hawk, Buteo albigula Galápagos hawk, Buteo galapagoensis Gray-lined hawk, Buteo nitidus Gray hawk, Buteo plagiatus Zone-tailed hawk, Buteo albonotatus Hawaiian hawk, Buteo solitarius Rufous-tailed hawk, Buteo ventralis Mountain buzzard, Buteo oreophilus Forest buzzard, Buteo trizonatus Madagascar buzzard, Buteo brachypterus Upland buzzard, Buteo hemilasius Red-necked buzzard, Buteo auguralis Jackal buzzard, Buteo rufofuscus Augur buzzard, Buteo augur

Extinct Genera

• †Bermuteo Olson, 2008
• †Garganoaetus Ballmann, 1973