User:Pelagic/sandbox/notes/birds/raptors/accipitridae subfamilies

Bonaparte
Bonaparte has eagles separate from buzzards. Aquilinae contains Aquila, Haliaaetus, Pandion; but Circaëtus is in Buteoninae. His Milvinae contains: Pernis, Aviceda, Rostrhamus, Cymindis, Gampsonyx, Nauclerus, Elanus, and Ictinia. He places Herpetotheres and Micrastur into Accipitrinae rather than Falconinae.

The subfamilies appear generally similar to Vigors.

Links are for the pages where raptors start.


 * 1838. A geographical and comparative list of the birds of Europe and North America. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33208473
 * 1840. A new systematic arrangement of vertebrated animals. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33545740
 * 1850. Conspectus generum avium. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43560014 (Also lists synonyms for species and genera.)

Coues
Coues recognizes the split of falcons and caracaras from other diurnal raptors, based especially on the shoulder anatomy (with the coracoid process extended to the scapula). He also emphasizes the distinctness of New World from Old World vultures.

Finally, he groups the eagles with the buzzards. Query is this an approach that was only popular in the USA? How did European ornithologists treat the eagles in 20th and late 19th centuries?

In the first edition (1872), Coues doesn't give subfamilies, see quote below. (Though he does list nine subgroups without formally calling them subfamilies.)

"Huxley has called attention to a character of the shoulder-girdle, afterward well elaborated by Mr. Ridgway (fig. 363) : In certain genera, as Falco, Micrastur, Herpetotheres, and in the Polyborinæ, the scapular process of the coracoid, fig. 362, c, is prolonged beneath the scapula, d, to meet the clavicle, b; which is not the case in other groups of genera of the Falconidæ, nor in Pandionidæ. This distinction has been made the basis of a primary division of the diurnal Accipitres into two subfamilies, Falconinæ and Buteoninæ, the former including Polyborus and its allies, the latter including Pandion; but some modification of this scheme is advisable, I think. It seems to me that the primary division should be made as on p. 498, by excluding Pandionidæ as a family distinct from Falconidæ proper, on the ground of its many peculiarities. This being done, the character of the shoulder-joint may properly be considered in dividing the Falconidae into subfamilies. I am perfectly willing to approximate Polyborus to Falco on this technical ground, notwithstanding the great outward dissimilarity of these two forms ; but it is unlikely that ornithologists will allow the construction of the shoulder-joint to outweigh all other characters combined." (p.518)

"The Old World Vultures ... have nothing to do with the American Vultures (suborder Cathartides), with which they have been wrongly united in a family Vulturidae" (p.519)

"The buzzards form a large group, not easy to define except by exclusion... They are hawks of medium and rather large size, heavy-bodied, of strong but measured flight, inferior in spirit to the true hawks and falcons, and as a rule feed upon humble game, which they rather snatch stealthily than capture in open piracy. ... With them must be associated the eagles; for the popular estimate of these famous great birds as something remarkably different from ordinary hawks is not confirmed by examination of their structure, which is the same as that of other buzzards. Although usually of large size and powerful physique, they are far below the smallest falcons in raptorial character, prey like the buzzards, and often stoop to carrion." (p.541)

Key to North American Birds 4ed.

Suborder Accipitres starts on p.517. Comparison of Coues list and Union List, see p.882 Historical Preface (starting p.xi) is a good source for list of other ornithologists (Catesby, Edwards, ...).

For other editions, see author search results (The Check-list of North American Birds is just a list of species, it doesn't have the explanatory value of the Key to North American Birds.) Note the 3rd to 5th editions of the Key say "exhibiting the new nomenclature of the American Ornithologists' union".
 * A Check List of North American Birds 1ed, "1873" [1874] http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13965700
 * Key to North American Birds 1ed. (1872). Key to the genera of raptors; Family Falconidae: Cornell Smithsonian.

"No unexceptionable subdivision of the family has yet been proposed ; and as this point is still at issue, I deem it best not to present subfamilies. Instead of an attempt in this direction, which would necessarily be premature, I will endeavor to give the student a general idea of the composition of the family." [Key 1ed. 1872]

The first edition lists nine subfamilial groups: (old-world) vultures, caracaras, harriers, osprey, perns, kites, buzzards, "hawks proper", and falcons. Later editions raise the osprey to a separate family, and no longer treat Pernis as a subfamily, reducing the number to seven. Though in the 5th edition (and possibly earlier ones), he mentions that the forest falcons and laughing falcon together may warrant subfamily status.

Above quote about not presenting subfamilies has been retained in the text, but there is a list of subfamilies at [].
 * Key to North American Birds 5ed. (posthumous, 1903). Though the last edition is expanded, there is not much change in the raptors. Suborder Accipitres starts on p.648.

Coues mentions that "some authors" make subfamilies Gypaëtinæ and Gypohieracinæ separate from other Old World vultures in Vulturinæ (now Gyps).

He also notes that the A.O.U. only recognized 3 subfamilies: Falconinæ, Accipitrinæ, and Pandioninæ.