The Zoochat Photographic Guide To Birds of Prey

[TeaLovingDave]

Buteo


Grey Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)

The range of this species extends from southwest USA, where populations are seasonal, through coastal Mexico, and into Central America as far south as northwest Costa Rica.

Monotypic.

Photo by @ralph

Grey-lined Hawk (Buteo nitidus)

The range of this species extends from southwest Costa Rica, south through Panama into northern Colombia, and from here through Venezuela and the Guianas into Amazonian Brazil and the foothills of the Andes, extending as far west as eastern Peru and central Bolivia, and as far south as north-central Argentina and southern Paraguay.

Three subspecies recognised:

B. n. blakei
B. n. nitidus
B. n. pallidus

Photo by @robmv

Ridgway's Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi)

The range of this species is restricted to a small portion of Los Haitises National Park in northeast Dominican Republic; formerly endemic to the entirety of Hispaniola.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Giant Eland

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

The range of this species comprises a pair of disjunct populations; throughout the Pacific coastline of North America from southern Oregon to central Baja California; and throughout much of the eastern USA and adjacent southeast Canada from Ontario in the north to east Texas and northeast Mexico in the south, and east to Florida and New England. Populations in north-central and northeast USA and adjacent Canada are summer breeding visitors which winter as far south as central Mexico.

Five subspecies recognised:

B. l. elegans
B. l. lineatus
B. l. texanus
B. l. alleni - photo by @Maguari

B. l. extimus - photo by @d1am0ndback

Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)

The summer breeding range of this species extends throughout much of eastern North America, from south-central Canada in the west to southeast Canada and northeast USA in the east, and south to central Texas and northern Florida; the wintering range of this species extends from the Florida peninsula and southern Mexico, through Central America into South America as far south as northern Bolivia and as far east as the Guianas and northern Brazil; resident populations exist in Cuba and the Lesser Antilles.

Six subspecies recognised:

B. p. platypterus - photo by @ThylacineAlive

B. p. cubanensis
B. p. brunnescens
B. p. insulicola
B. p. rivierei
B. p. antillarum


Hawaiian Hawk (Buteo solitarius)

Endemic to Hawaii.

Monotypic.

Photo by @African Grey

White-throated Hawk (Buteo albigula)

The range of this species extends throughout the Andes from northern Colombia to central Chile and southwest Argentina.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus)

The range of this species extends from northwest Mexico in the north, through Central America to northern Colombia, and from here south along the western slopes of the Andes to northwest Peru, and throughout South America east of the Andes as far south as north-central Argentina, Paraguay and eastern Bolivia in the west, and southeast Brazil in the east; a disjunct population is present in Florida.

Two subspecies recognised:

B. b. fuliginosus - photo by @vogelcommando

B. b. brachyurus


Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)

The summer breeding range of this species extends throughout western and central North America, from western Canada into the USA as far east as Minnesota and east Texas, and from here into north-central Mexico; the wintering range of this species extends throughout northeast Argentina and adjacent western Uruguay.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Tomek

Galapagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoensis)

Endemic to the Galapagos archipelago.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus)

The range of this species extends patchily from south-central USA, through Mexico and Central America into northern Colombia, and from here east into Venezuela, the Guianas and the Amazon delta of northern Brazil, and south through the eastern foothills of the Andes and Atlantic coastline of Brazil to northern Argentina and Paraguay in the west and southeast Brazil in the east; largely absent from the Amazon Basin.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Arizona Docent

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

The range of this species extends throughout the majority of North America, the Caribbean and Central America, from Alaska in the west to Nova Scotia in the east, and south to western Panama; largely migratory in the northern portions of this range throughout Alaska, Canada and north-central USA, and sedentary elsewhere.

Fifteen subspecies recognised:

B. j. harlani
B. j. alascensis - photo by @Pleistohorse

B. j. calurus - photo by @Great Argus

B. j. kriderii - photo by @Ituri

B. j. borealis - photo by @Ituri

B. j. fuertesi - photo by @jbnbsn99

B. j. suttoni
B. j. fumosus
B. j. socorroensis
B. j. hadropus - photo by @Adam Khor

B. j. kemsiesi
B. j. costaricensis
B. j. umbrinus - photo by @Ituri

B. j. solitudinis - photo by @carlos55

B. j. jamaicensis - photo by @Giant Eland

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Rufous-tailed Hawk (Buteo ventralis)

The range of this species extends from south-central Chile and adjacent southern Argentina, throughout Patagonia to Tierra del Fuego.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus)

The summer breeding range of this species extends throughout the northernmost reaches of the Holarctic, from northern Scandinavia in the west to the Russian Far East and Kamchatka in the east, and from here across the Bering Strait to Alaska and northern Canada; the wintering range of this species extends from central Europe in the west, through eastern Europe, the northern Caucasus and Central Asia into southern Siberia, the Russian Far East and eastern China, and in North America throughout southern Canada and much of the USA.

Four subspecies recognised:

B. l. lagopus - photo by @alexkant

B. l. menzbieri - photo by @alexkant

B. l. kamtschatkensis
B. l. sanctijohannis


Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)

The summer breeding range of this species extends from south-central Canada in the north, throughout west-central USA to Arizona, New Mexico and northwest Texas in the south; the wintering range of this species extends from south-central and southwest USA in the north to central Mexico in the south.

Monotypic.

Photo by @LaughingDove

Red-necked Buzzard (Buteo auguralis)

The range of this species extends from Guinea and Sierra Leone in the west to South Sudan and western Ethiopia in the east, and south through the Congo Basin to northwest Angola.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Augur Buzzard (Buteo augur)

The range of this species extends throughout eastern Africa, from Ethiopia and Eritrea in the north to southeast Zimbabwe in the south; a disjunct population extends from southwest Angola to central Namibia.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Hix

Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)

The range of this species extends throughout southern Africa, from central Namibia and northeast South Africa in the north, throughout South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland to the Cape.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Cephie

Eurasian Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

The range of this species extends from the British Isles, Iberian Peninsula, Canaries and Azores in the west, throughout Europe, northern Asia Minor and the Caucasus into Central Asia and southern Siberia; populations in Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus are resident, with those elsewhere representing summer breeding populations which winter in Asia Minor, east and southern Africa, and patchily elsewhere in Africa and southwest Asia.

Nine subspecies recognised:

B. b. rothschildi
B. b. harterti
B. b. insularum
B. b. buteo - photo by @vogelcommando

B. b. arrigonii
B. b. pojana
B. b. bannermani
B. b. vulpinus
B. b. menetriesi


Japanese Buzzard (Buteo japonicus)

The summer breeding range of this species extends throughout southwest Siberia and northeast Mongolia into the Russian Far East, northeast China and Japan; the wintering range of this species extends throughout the Himalayas and southeast Asia from southern China into Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, and also in Sri Lanka, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.

Three subspecies recognised:

B. j. japonicus - photo by @devilfish

B. j. toyoshimai
B. j. oshiroi


Himalayan Buzzard (Buteo refectus)

The range of this species extends throughout the Himalayas from northeast Pakistan, through Nepal, Bhutan and southern Tibet, to northeast India.

Monotypic.

Photo by @MagicYoung

Mountain Buzzard (Buteo oreophilus)

The range of this species extends patchily throughout eastern Africa, from the highlands of Ethiopia in the north, through the Albertine Rift, Kenya and Tanzania to northernmost Malawi in the south.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Maguari

Forest Buzzard (Buteo trizonatus)

The breeding range of this species is restricted to the Western Cape and Eastern Cape of South Africa, with non-breeding populations occurring throughout the eastern forests of South Africa.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Madagascar Buzzard (Buteo brachypterus)

Endemic to Madagascar.

Monotypic.

Photo by @lintworm

Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)

The summer breeding range of this species extends from southeast Europe, through Asia Minor, the Middle East and the Caucasus, and into Central Asia and northwest China; the wintering range of this species extends patchily throughout Asia Minor and the Middle East into the southern foothills of the Himalayas as far east as Bangladesh, and also into east Africa as far south as Kenya and northeast Tanzania. Resident populations extend patchily throughout northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Two subspecies recognised:

B. r. rufinus - photo by @alexkant

B. r. cirtensis


Socotra Buzzard (Buteo socotraensis)

Endemic to Socotra.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Upland Buzzard (Buteo hemilasius)

The range of this species extends throughout southern Siberia and Mongolia into northeast China, and south from here into central China and the Tibetan Plateau; wintering populations extend throughout the Altai and Himalayas, and into central and eastern China.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.
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[TeaLovingDave]

FALCONIDAE


This family comprises 11 extant genera, as follows:

Herpetotheres - Laughing Falcon (monotypic)

Micrastur - Forest-falcons (7 species)

Spiziapteryx - Spot-winged Falconet (monotypic)

Caracara - Crested Caracaras (2 species)

Ibycter - Red-throated Caracara (monotypic)

Phalcoboenus - Striated Caracara and allies (5 species)

Milvago - Yellow-headed Caracara (monotypic)

Daptrius - Black Caracara (monotypic)

Microhierax - True Falconets (5 species)

Polihierax - Pygmy-falcons (2 species)

Falco - True Falcons (38 species)
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[Great Argus]

I have photos of Buteo lineatus elegans and Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis, let me do some digging!

 

[Great Argus]

I have photos of Buteo lineatus elegans and Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis, let me do some digging!

Uploaded three options for B. l. elegans, two juveniles and an adult. The adult is the not as good one of the three, I'll leave it up to you!
Can't currently find my better B. l. sanctijohannis photos, uploaded a so-so one for now. If I find my better ones I'll upload.

 

[Carl Jones]

The 'photo of a supposed Ferruginous Hawk is a Harris Hawk.

 

[Great Argus]

The 'photo of a supposed Ferruginous Hawk is a Harris Hawk.

You're right, it's a juvenile Harris' Hawk.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

The 'photo of a supposed Ferruginous Hawk is a Harris Hawk.

Readily fixed; thanks for the heads-up

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Herpetotheres


Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans)

The range of this species extends from coastal western and eastern Mexico, south throughout Central America into western Colombia, and from here along the western foothills of the Andes as far south as northwest Peru, and east of the Andes throughout much of South America to northeast Argentina, Paraguay and southeast Brazil.

Two subspecies recognised:

H. c. cachinnans - photo by @ralph

H. c. fulvescens - photo by @ronnienl

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[TeaLovingDave]

Micrastur


Barred Forest-falcon (Micrastur ruficollis)

The range of this species extends from southern Mexico, south throughout Central America into western Colombia, and from here along the western foothills of the Andes as far south as northwest Peru, and east of the Andes throughout much of South America to northern Argentina, eastern Paraguay and southeast Brazil.

Six subspecies recognised:

M. r. guerilla
M. r. interstes - photo by @Semioptera

M. r. zonothorax
M. r. concentricus
M. r. ruficollis
M. r. olrogi


Plumbeous Forest-falcon (Micrastur plumbeus)

The range of this species is restricted to a coastal stretch of southwest Colombia and adjacent northwest Ecuador.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Lined Forest-falcon (Micrastur gilvicollis)

The range of this species extends from eastern Colombia into Venezuela and the Guianas, and into the northern Amazon Basin as far south and west as north-central Bolivia.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Cryptic Forest-falcon (Micrastur mintoni)

The range of this species extends throughout the eastern and southern Amazon Basin, as far west as northern Bolivia; a disjunct population is present in coastal eastern Brazil.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Slaty-backed Forest-falcon (Micrastur mirandollei)

The range of this species extends patchily from Costa Rica and Panama into western Colombia, and south from here along the western slopes of the Andes to northwest Ecuador, and east of the Andes throughout the Amazon Basin and Guianas, and south to north-central Bolivia; a small disjunct population is present in coastal eastern Brazil.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Collared Forest-falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus)

The range of this species extends from coastal northwest and northeast Mexico, south throughout Central America into northwest Colombia, and from here along the western foothills of the Andes as far south as northwest Peru, and east of the Andes throughout much of South America to northeast Argentina, Paraguay and southeast Brazil.

Two subspecies recognised:

M. s. naso - photo by @Maguari

M. s. semitorquatus


Buckley's Forest-falcon (Micrastur buckleyi)

The range of this species extends throughout the western reaches of the Amazon Basin, from eastern Ecuador in the north to southeast Peru in the south.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.
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[TeaLovingDave]

Spiziapteryx


Spot-winged Falconet (Spiziapteryx circumcincta)

The range of this species extends from Paraguay and adjacent eastern Bolivia in the north, throughout northern Argentina into western Uruguay and east-central Argentina in the south.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.
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[TeaLovingDave]

Caracara


Northern Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway)

The range of this species extends from the southern United States and Mexico, throughout Central America into northern Colombia, and from here south through Ecuador into northwest Peru, and east through Venezuela and the Guianas into northeast Brazil, with populations extending north from the Guianas into the Leeward Antilles, Trinidad and Cuba.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Javan Rhino

Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus)

The range of this species extends throughout much of South America, from north-east Brazil and central Bolivia in the north, throughout Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay to Tierra de Fuego and the Falklands in the south, and north from here throughout Chile into coastal southwest Peru.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Daniel Sörensen

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[TeaLovingDave]

Ibycter


Red-throated Caracara (Ibycter americanus)

The range of this species extends patchily from eastern Honduras to northern Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, and from here south to central Ecuador west of the Andes, and north-central Bolivia and southern Brazil east of the Andes.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.
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[TeaLovingDave]

Phalcoboenus


Chimango Caracara (Phalcoboenus chimango)

The range of this species extends from central Chile, northern Argentina and southern Brazil in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south.

Two subspecies recognised:

P. c. chimango - photo by @Maguari

P. c. temucoensis


Carunculated Caracara (Phalcoboenus carunculatus)

The range of this species is restricted to a narrow stretch of the northern Andes, from southwest Colombia to southern Ecuador.

Monotypic.

Photo by @AWP

Mountain Caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus)

The range of this species extends throughout the Andes, from southern Ecuador to northwest Argentina and central Chile.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Goura

White-throated Caracara (Phalcoboenus albogularis)

The range of this species is restricted to the southernmost reaches of South America, from southern Chile and adjacent Argentina to Tierra del Fuego.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Striated Caracara (Phalcoboenus australis)

The range of this species is restricted to the extreme south of Tierra del Fuego, extending east into the Falklands.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Nick@Amsterdam

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[TeaLovingDave]

Milvago


Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima)

The range of this species extends from southernmost Nicaragua in the north, through Central America into northern Colombia, and from here throughout South America east of the Andes as far south as northeast Argentina, southern Brazil and northern Uruguay.

Two subspecies recognised:

M. c. cordata - photo by @savethelephant

M. c. chimachima - photo by @Tomek

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[TeaLovingDave]

Daptrius


Black Caracara (Daptrius ater)

The range of this species extends through northeast Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, and throughout the Amazon Basin as far south as northern Bolivia and west-central Brazil.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.
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[TeaLovingDave]

Microhierax


Collared Falconet (Microhierax caerulescens)

The range of this species extends patchily throughout the central and eastern Himalayas into northeast India and northern Myanmar, and from here throughout Indochina to the northern reaches of the Malay Peninsula.

Two subspecies recognised:

M. c. caerulescens
M. c. burmanicus - photo by @devilfish

Black-thighed Falconet (Microhierax fringillarius)

The range of this species extends throughout the Malay Peninsula into the Greater Sundas, and east into Bali.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Chlidonias

White-fronted Falconet (Microhierax latifrons)

Endemic to northern Borneo.

Monotypic.

Photo by @LaughingDove

Philippine Falconet (Microhierax erythrogenys)

Endemic to the Philippines.

Monotypic.

Photo by @devilfish

Pied Falconet (Microhierax melanoleucos)

The range of this species extends from northeast India in the west, throughout south-central and southeast China, and south into northeast Indochina.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.
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[TeaLovingDave]

Polihierax


African Pygmy-falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus)

The range of this species comprises a pair of widely-disjunct populations; from southern Ethiopia and Somalia in the north to south-central Tanzania, and west into northeast DRC; and from southern Angola in the north to northwest South Africa in the south.

Monotypic.

Photo by @ThylacineAlive

White-rumped Pygmy-falcon (Polihierax insignis)

The range of this species extends patchily and in a fragmented distribution of disjunct populations throughout Indochina; from west-central Myanmar and northwest Thailand in the north to southern Myanmar and adjacent west-central Thailand in the south; and from central Laos and adjacent eastern Thailand in the north to Cambodia and southern Vietnam in the south.

Three subspecies recognised:

P. i. insignis
P. i. cinereiceps
P. i. harmandi

No photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.
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[TeaLovingDave]

Falco


Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)

The summer breeding range of this species extends from the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and northwest Africa, throughout the Mediterranean to Asia Minor, the Middle East and the Caucasus, and from here throughout Central Asia and southern Siberia into northern and northeast China; the wintering range of this species extends throughout sub-Saharan Africa outside the Congo Basin, with disjunct populations occurring patchily in southeast Asia.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Tomek

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

The range of this species extends throughout Europe, northwest Africa and sub-Saharan Africa outside the Congo Basin, and from here through the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, Central Asia and Siberia to the Russian Far East, eastern China and Japan; populations extending from Scandinavia, eastern Europe and western Russia, through the Caucasus, Siberia and Central Europe, to the Russian Far East and northeast China represent summer breeding populations, wintering in the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Indian Subcontinent and Indochina.

Twelve subspecies recognised:

F. t. tinnunculus - photo by @SMR

F. t. perpallidus
F. t. interstinctus
F. t. objurgatus
F. t. canariensis
F. t. dacotiae
F. t. neglectus
F. t. alexandri
F. t. rupicolaeformis
F. t. archeri
F. t. rufescens - photo by @LaughingDove

F. t. rupicolus


Madagascar Kestrel (Falco newtoni)

Endemic to Madagascar.

Two subspecies recognised:

F. n. aldabranus
F. n. newtoni

No photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Mauritius Kestrel (Falco punctatus)

Endemic to Mauritius.

Monotypic.

Photo by @gentle lemur

Seychelles Kestrel (Falco araeus)

Endemic to the Seychelles.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Spotted Kestrel (Falco moluccensis)

The range of this species extends from Java and Sulawesi into the Lesser Sundas and Moluccas.

Two subspecies recognised:

F. m. microbalius - photo by @Goura

F. m. moluccensis


Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)

The range of this species extends throughout Australia, Tasmania and adjacent islands, with a disjunct population in montane west-central New Guinea; wintering populations extend throughout southern New Guinea.

Two subspecies recognised:

F. c. cenchroides - photo by @Hix

F. c. baru


American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

The range of this species extends throughout North and South America, from Alaska and northwest Canada in the north to central Chile and southern Argentina in the south, and into the Greater and Lesser Antilles; absent from the Amazon Basin and Tierra del Fuego, with populations in Alaska, Canada and northern USA representing summer breeding populations which winter in southern Mexico and throughout Central America.

Seventeen subspecies recognised:

F. s. sparverius - photo by @ThylacineAlive

F. s. paulus
F. s. peninsularis
F. s. tropicalis - photo by @Adam Khor

F. s. nicaraguensis
F. s. sparverioides
F. s. dominicensis
F. s. caribaearum
F. s. brevipennis
F. s. isabellinus
F. s. ochraceus
F. s. caucae
F. s. aequatorialis
F. s. peruvianus
F. s. fernandensis
F. s. cinnamominus
F. s. cearae


Greater Kestrel (Falco rupicoloides)

The range of this species extends in a patchy and highly-fragmented distribution of disjunct populations throughout eastern and southern Africa; from Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in the north, through Ethiopia and Kenya, to central Tanzania in the south; and from eastern Angola and southwest Zambia in the north, through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to southwest South Africa in the south.

Three subspecies recognised:

F. r. fieldi
F. r. arthuri
F. r. rupicoloides

Photo by @Tomek

Fox Kestrel (Falco alopex)

The range of this species extends throughout the Sahel of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Eritrea in the east, and south from here to central Kenya and northern Uganda.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.


Grey Kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus)

The range of this species extends throughout much of central and western sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal and Guinea in the west to Eritrea and Ethiopia in the east, and south to south-central Tanzania in the east and southwest Angola in the west; only patchily distributed in the east, and largely absent from the Congo Basin.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Hix

Dickinson's Kestrel (Falco dickinsoni)

The range of this species extends from Angola in the west to south-central Tanzania in the east, and south to northeast South Africa and southern Mozambique.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present within the Zoochat gallery.