''Polyboroides'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
bird of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
in the family
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae () is one of the four families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds of prey with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects ...
. This genus has two recognized
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
found in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
and
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
. The two species are
allopatric
Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...
and restricted to the
Afrotropical realm
The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...
. They are generally known as harrier-hawks.
Etymology
''Polyboroides'': Genus ''Polyborus'' Vieillot, 1816; ''-oidēs'' "resembling".
Species
The genus ''Polyboroides'' has two recognized species:
[Clements, J. F. 2007. ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition''. Cornell University Press. Downloadable from Cornell Lab of Ornithology ]
/ref>
Note the double-jointed legs enabling it to hang downwards and yet reach upwards with its beak.">sociable weaver">weaver colony in Etosha National Park">Etosha NP.
Note the double-jointed legs enabling it to hang downwards and yet reach upwards with its beak.
See also
* Harrier (bird)
References
Polyboroides,
Bird genera
Birds of prey of Sub-Saharan Africa,
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Accipitriformes-stub