Systematics edit
Carl Linnaeus’ taxonomy classified birds (class Aves) into orders, genera, and species; genus and order were not formally ranked. He classified all raptors into the order Accipitres, which he then further divided into four genera: Falco (which includes eagles, hawks, falcons, etc.), Vultur (vultures), and others. ), Strix (owls), and Lanius (shrikes). Subsequent authors like Gmelin, Latham, and Turton adopted this strategy.
Additional ranks utilized by Louis Pierre Vieillot were order, tribe, family, genus, and species. Diurnal and nocturnal tribes of birds of prey (order Accipitres) were distinguished; owls (family Ægolii, genus Strix) remained monogeneric, while the diurnal raptors were split into three families: Vulturini, Gypaūti, and Accipitrini. As a result, the families of Vieillots resembled those of the Linnaean genera, with the exception that shrikes were no longer classified as prey birds. Apart from the original Vultur and Falco, which have now shrunk in size, Vieillot also took four genera (Phene, Haliæetus, Pandion, and Elanus) from Savigny. In addition, he introduced eleven new genera of accipitrines (Aquila, Circaëtus, Circus, Buteo, Milvus, Ictinia, Physeta, Harpia, Spizaëtus, Asturina, Sparvius) and five new genera of vultures (Gypagus, Catharista, Daptrius, Ibycter, Polyborus)[note 1].
Formerly made up of the orders Falconiformes and Strigiformes, Falconimorphae is a deprecated superorder within the Raptores order. The clade was invalidated after 2012. Strigiformes is now categorized under Afroaves, while Falconiformes is now under Eufalconimorphae. [10].
Persecution edit
Predatory birds have historically faced both direct and indirect persecution. Rewards Naebbetold (by royal decree from 1741) were given in the Danish Faroe Islands in exchange for the bills of birds of prey displayed by hunters. Buzzards and kites were killed in Britain because they were thought to ruin game; in 1684-5 alone, up to 100 kites were slain. The Netherlands also had rewards in place for their murder starting in 1756. An estimated 624087 birds of prey were killed between 1705 and 1800 in a region of Germany that included Hannover, Luneburg, Lauenburg, and Bremen; 14125 of those claws were deposited in 1796–1797 alone. [30] Several species also become poisoned with lead after inadvertently ingesting lead shot while consuming prey that has been shot by hunters. [31] Reduced fitness and early mortality are also brought on by lead pellets from direct shooting that the birds have managed to flee. [32].
Attacks on humans edit
Evidence of an attack in which the victim, a seven-year-old boy, survived and the eagle was killed, as well as the finding of a portion of a human child’s skull in a nest, lend credence to the theory that the African crowned eagle occasionally views human children as prey. This would make it the only known living bird that feeds on humans; however, other birds, like ostriches and cassowaries, have killed people in self-defense, and it’s possible that a lammergeier accidentally killed Aeschylus. [34] Numerous indigenous Brazilian stories describe Uiruuetê, or the Harpy Eagle in Tupi language, mauling young victims. [citation needed] A number of large raptors, including golden eagles, have been known to attack people[35], but it’s not clear if these animals are after humans for food or if any of them have ever managed to kill one.
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