Harrier (bird)
| Circus | |
|---|---|
| File:Circus aeruginosus Valencia 3.jpeg | |
| Western marsh harrier | |
| Scientific classification e | |
| Missing taxonomy template (fix): | Circus |
| Type species | |
| Falco aeruginosus Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Species | |
A harrier is a member of the genus Circus in Accipitridae, a family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds. The young of the species are sometimes referred to as ring-tail harriers. They are distinctive with long wings, a long narrow tail, the slow and low flight over grasslands and skull peculiarities. The harriers are thought to have diversified with the expansion of grasslands and the emergence of [[List of C4 plants|Template:C4 grasses]] about 6 to 8 million years ago during the Late Miocene and Pliocene.[1]
Taxonomy
[edit]
The genus Circus was introduced by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799.[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the western marsh harrier.[3][4] Most harriers are placed in this genus. The word Circus comes from the Ancient Greek κρέξ (kréx) referring to a long legged bird, and is possibly ultimately derived from an onomatopoeia.[5] The name harrier is thought to have been derived either from Harrier (dog), or by a corruption of harrower, or directly from harry.[6]
The genera Circus has in the past been placed in the subfamily Circinae but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that this grouping is polyphyletic, nested within the Accipitrinae.[7][8] The harrier-hawks in the genus Polyboroides are not closely related and are placed in their own subfamily Polyboroidinae[8]
Ring-tails
[edit]Ring-tail is an informal term used by birders for the juveniles and females of several harrier species when seen in the field and not identifiable to an exact species.[9] Ring-tail harriers include the juveniles and females of Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus), hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), and pallid harrier (Circus macrourus).
Species
[edit]The genus contains 16 species:[10] Template:Species table
Template:Species table/row Template:Species table/end
Fossils
[edit]- Template:Extinct Eyles's harrier, Circus teauteensis (prehistoric)
- Template:Extinct Wood harrier, Circus dossenus (prehistoric)
References
[edit]- ↑ Oatley, Graeme; Simmons, Robert E.; Fuchs, Jérôme (2015). "A molecular phylogeny of the harriers (Circus, Accipitridae) indicate the role of long distance dispersal and migration in diversification". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 85: 150–60. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.01.013. PMID 25701771.
- ↑ Lacépède, Bernard Germain de (1799). "Tableau des sous-classes, divisions, sous-division, ordres et genres des oiseux". Discours d'ouverture et de clôture du cours d'histoire naturelle (in French). Paris: Plassan. p. 4. Page numbering starts at one for each of the three sections.
- ↑ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 316.
- ↑ Lesson, René P. (1828). Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Description des genres et des principales espèces d'oiseaux (in French). 1. Paris: Roret. p. 105.
- ↑ Beekes, Robert (2010). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. pp. 702, 776. ISBN 978-90-04-17420-7.
- ↑ Hogg, John (1845). "A catalogue of birds observed in South-eastern Durham and in North-western Cleveland". The Zoologist. 3: 1049–1063.
- ↑ Mindell, D.; Fuchs, J.; Johnson, J. (2018). "Phylogeny, taxonomy, and geographic diversity of diurnal raptors: Falconiformes, Accipitriformes, and Cathartiformes". In Sarasola, J.H.; Grange, J.M.; Negro, J.J. (eds.). Birds of Prey: Biology and conservation in the XXI century. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. pp. 3–32. ISBN 978-3-319-73744-7.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Citation/CS1/Suggestions' not found.
- ↑ "Harriers in India: A Field Guide" (PDF). wwt.org.uk. Wetland Link International. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2022). "Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors". IOC World Bird List Version 12.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Circus (genus). |
- Harrier videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Harrier videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Newton, Alfred (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 (11th ed.). p. 17.