Daptrius

Daptrius
Black caracara (Daptrius ater)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes
Family:	Falconidae
Subfamily:	Polyborinae
Genus:	Daptrius Vieillot, 1816
Type species
Daptrius ater Vieillot, 1816
Synonyms
Milvago Spix, 1824 Phalcoboenus d'Orbigny, 1834

Daptrius is a genus of birds of prey in the family Falconidae that are found only in South America other than the yellow-headed caracara that also occurs in Costa Rica and Panama. The genus includes species previously placed in the genera Milvago and Phalcoboenus.

Taxonomy

The genus Daptrius was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Vieillot to accommodate a single species, Datrius ater Vieillot, the black caracara. This is the type species. ^{[1] [2]} The genus name is from Ancient Greek δαπτης/daptēs meaning "bloodsucker" or "eater", from δαπτω/daptō meaning "to devour". ^[3]

This genus now includes species that were formerly placed in the genera Milvago and Phalcoboenus. Molecular genetic studies found that Milvago was polyphyletic with the chimango caracara (Milvago chimango) sister to the genus Phalcoboenus and the yellow-headed caracara (Milvago chimachima) sister to Daptrius. ^{[4] [5]} As the genetic divergence was relatively shallow, the polyphyly was resolved by expanding the genus Daptrius to include the two other genera. ^[6]

The genus contains seven species: ^[6]

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Distribution
	Yellow-headed caracara	Daptrius chimachima (formerly in Milvago)	Costa Rica to north Argentina
	Black caracara	Daptrius ater	Amazonia
	Chimango caracara	Daptrius chimango (formerly in Milvago)	southern South America
	Carunculated caracara	Daptrius carunculatus (formerly in Phalcoboenus)	Ecuador and southwest Colombia
	Mountain caracara	Daptrius megalopterus (formerly in Phalcoboenus)	Peru to central Chile
	White-throated caracara	Daptrius albogularis (formerly in Phalcoboenus)	south Chile and south Argentina
	Striated caracara	Daptrius australis (formerly in Phalcoboenus)	Tierra del Fuego, Isla de los Estados (Staten Island), Navarino Island, and Falkland Islands

References

1. Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1816). Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire (in French). Paris: Deterville/self. p. 22.
2. Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 391.
3. Jobling, James A. "Daptrius". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
4. Fuchs, J.; Johnson, J.A.; Mindell, D.P. (2012). "Molecular systematics of the caracaras and allies (Falconidae: Polyborinae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data". Ibis. 154 (3): 520–532. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2012.01222.x.
5. Fuchs, J.; Johnson, J.A.; Mindell, D.P. (2015). "Rapid diversification of falcons (Aves: Falconidae) due to expansion of open habitats in the Late Miocene". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 82: 166–182. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.08.010.
6. AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi: 10.2173/avilist.v2025 . Retrieved 16 October 2025.