The order Cathartiformes of raptors or

birds 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 ...

includes the

New World vultures The New World vulture or condor family, Cathartidae, contains seven extant species in five genera. It includes five extant vultures and two extant condors found in warm and temperate areas of the Americas. The "New World" vultures were widespread ...

and the now-extinct

Teratornithidae Teratornithidae is an extinct family of very large birds of prey that lived in North and South America from the Late Oligocene to the Late Pleistocene. They include some of the largest known flying birds. Taxonomy Teratornithidae are related t ...

. These raptors are classified by most taxonomic authorities in the order

Accipitriformes The Accipitriformes (; from Latin ''accipiter''/''accipitri-'' "hawk", and New Latin ''-formes'' "having the form of") are an order of birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not f ...

(which includes the eagles and hawks). In the past, they were considered to be a sister group to the storks of the order

Ciconiiformes Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons a ...

based on DNA–DNA hybridization and morphology. However, a 2021 analysis of mitochondrial genes among Accipitrimorphae, which include Cathartiformes, reinforced prior findings on the phylogenetic relationships between Cathartiformes and other subfamilies of Accipitriformes.

References

* Eocene birds Eocene animals of North America Eocene animals of South America Paleogene birds of North America Paleogene birds of South America Neogene birds of North America Neogene birds of South America Quaternary birds of North America Quaternary birds of South America Extant Eocene first appearances {{bird-stub