Falconiformes

<p>The order Falconiformes  is represented by the extant family <a href="/facts/Falconidae/x4kF5Mmr">Falconidae (falcons and caracaras)</a> and a handful of enigmatic <a href="/facts/Paleogene/CNsEpdA4">Paleogene</a> species. Traditionally, the other <a href="/facts/Bird_of_prey/AAfSeYT3">bird of prey</a> families <a href="/facts/New_World_vulture/bsl55xDP">Cathartidae (New World vultures and condors)</a>, <a href="/facts/Sagittariidae/znGBSY7P">Sagittariidae (secretarybird)</a>, <a href="/facts/Pandion_(bird)/ghgmb6MH">Pandionidae (ospreys)</a>, <a href="/facts/Accipitridae/e5skuu3g">Accipitridae (hawks)</a> were classified in Falconiformes. A variety of comparative <a href="/facts/Genome/31Sm08JT">genome</a> analyses published since 2008, however, found that falcons are part of a clade of birds called <a href="/facts/Australaves/Bj6SnW7l">Australaves</a>, which also includes <a href="/facts/Seriema/QAw65kay">seriemas</a>, <a href="/facts/Parrot/u32QQjMe">parrots</a> and <a href="/facts/Passerine/qby0MANo">passerines</a>. Within Australaves falcons are more closely related to the parrot-passerine clade than they are to the seriemas. The <a href="/facts/Hawk/ncU3S6qp">hawks</a>, <a href="/facts/Vulture/sSHSYa7m">vultures</a> and <a href="/facts/Owl/ShBp03ph">owls</a> are placed in the clade <a href="/facts/Afroaves/RqhahzEG">Afroaves</a>.
</p><p>The <a href="/facts/Cladogram/fWFYhUFo">cladogram</a> of the <a href="/facts/Telluraves/aEbhJuV7">Telluraves</a> shown below is based on the study by Josefin Stiller and collaborators published in 2024. The species numbers are taken from the December 2023 version of the list maintained by <a href="/facts/Frank_Gill_(ornithologist)/uQKvla9I">Frank Gill</a>, <a href="/facts/Pamela_C._Rasmussen/HbHu8095">Pamela C. Rasmussen</a> and David Donsker on behalf of the <a href="/facts/International_Ornithological_Committee/475sIgrJ">International Ornithological Committee</a> (IOC). This list includes the Cathartiformes (New World vultures) in the order Accipitriformes.
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<table><tbody><tr><td><a href="/facts/Telluraves/aEbhJuV7">Telluraves</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="/facts/Afroaves/RqhahzEG">Afroaves</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Strigiformes/ShBp03ph">Strigiformes</a> (owls – 254 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Cathartiformes/Tt7FSQAQ">Cathartiformes</a> (New World vultures – 7 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Accipitriformes/ICnE6R2F">Accipitriformes</a> (<a href="/facts/Hawk/ncU3S6qp">hawks</a>, osprey and secretarybird – 258 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Coliiformes/oJLYPWod">Coliiformes</a> (mouse birds – 6 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Leptosomiformes/xG3Ca2Vz">Leptosomiformes</a> (cuckoo roller – 1 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Trogoniformes/va1bJUPQ">Trogoniformes</a> (trogons and quetzals – 46 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Bucerotiformes/eAXIzJSa">Bucerotiformes</a> (<a href="/facts/Hornbill/CV6EzmX1">hornbills</a> and relatives – 77 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Coraciiformes/u3b5uo9W">Coraciiformes</a> (<a href="/facts/Kingfisher/6JwnTeQg">kingfishers</a> and relatives – 186 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Piciformes/XzPzw454">Piciformes</a> (<a href="/facts/Woodpecker/dFdEHRHw">woodpeckers</a> and relatives – 448 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Australaves/Bj6SnW7l">Australaves</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Cariamiformes/wq10BMK5">Cariamiformes</a> (seriemas – 2 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>Falconiformes (falcons  – 65 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Psittaciformes/u32QQjMe">Psittaciformes</a> (parrots – 408 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Passeriformes/qby0MANo">Passeriformes</a> (passerines – 6,719 species)</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The fossil record of Falconiformes <i><a href="/facts/Sensu_stricto/ho2gtX2C">sensu stricto</a></i> is poorly documented. The only stem-falcons that have mostly complete remains are <i><a href="/facts/Masillaraptor/6wUfqayy">Masillaraptor parvunguis</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Danielsraptor_phorusrhacoides/1yplFhmD">Danielsraptor phorusrhacoides</a></i>, while the other taxa <i>Stintonornis mitchelli</i> and <i>Parvulivenator watteli</i> are known from fragmentary remains. Mayr (2009) noted the similarity of <i>Masillaraptor</i> to the seriemas. One study from Wang et al. (2012) using 30 nuclear loci from 28 taxa found Falconidae and Cariamidae being sister taxa to each other. This has, however, not been supported by the latest major <a href="/facts/Neoaves/e5qIXBV0">neoavian</a> <a href="/facts/Phylogenetic/bw4rsovt">phylogenetic</a> studies. A 2022 study recovers masillaraptorids as true falcons.
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Falconiformes open-in-new

Falconiformes