| White-rumped falcon | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes |
| Family: | Falconidae |
| Subfamily: | Falconinae |
| Genus: | Neohierax Swann, 1922 |
| Species: | N. insignis |
| Binomial name | |
| Neohierax insignis (Walden, 1872) | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Polihierax insignis | |
The white-rumped falcon (Neohierax insignis) is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae native to Indochina. It is placed in its own monotypic genus, Neohierax.
Philip Sclater, secretary of the Zoological Society of London, presented two skins at the meeting of 7 November 1871, on behalf of the society's president Arthur Hay, Viscount Walden. A brief account of this presentation was published in 1872, becoming the first formal description of the species. [2] [3]
In 1922, Harry Kirke Swann proposed a new monotypic genus for this bird, Neohierax. [4] [5] During the 20th century, most taxonomic authorities retained it in Polyhierax, though Brown and Amadon supported separating the two genera. Phylogenetic analyses of morphological characteristics found the white-rumped falcon to be basal to the Falco clade, but separate from the clade containing the pygmy falcon (or African pigmy falcon, Polihierax semitorquatus) and Microhierax (falconets or pigmy falcons). [5]
Research in molecular genetics [6] has also found that the white-rumped falcon is more closely related to the Falco falcons than it is to the pygmy falcon, and indicates two major clades within the extant members of the falcon subfamily, Falconinae. Boyd places the Microhierax falconets with the pygmy falcon in tribe Polihieracini, and the white-rumped falcon as Neohierax insignis in tribe Falconini. [7]
The white-rumped falcon is also known as white-rumped pygmy falcon, white-rumped falconet, Fielden's falconet, [1] or Burmese pigmy falcon. [4]
The plumage is white underneath and on the rump, with black ticking on the chest. The upper surface of the wings is dark grey. Sexually dimorphic, the female has a rufous [note 1] mantle on her upper back and behind the head, whereas in the male these areas are grey. The tail is black, barred with white. [2] [4]
The shape of the tail is notably rounded, with the outermost feathers an inch shorter than the middle ones. [2] Its wings have the pointed shape typical of falcons, with the second primary feathers longest, and the first nearly equal to the third. [4] [note 2]
Its legs and feet are yellow, hence the French name fauconnet à pattes jaunes (yellow-legged falconet). Base of the bill and skin surrounding the eye are yellow. Tip of the beak is grey or horn-coloured.
The wings are 145 mm (5+3⁄4 in) long, and the tail is 130 mm (5 in). [4] Modern sources give the overall length as 23–28 cm (9–11 in), weight 84–112 g (3–4 oz), and wingspan 42–49 centimetres (16+1⁄2–19+1⁄4 in). [8]
Its coloration is similar to the African pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus), but the white-rumped falcon is larger and proportionally longer-tailed.
Found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, [1] its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry savanna. The IUCN considers it "near-threatened" by habitat loss due to logging and forest fires, and possibly hunting. [1]
White-rumped falcons feed on lizards and insects, which are taken from the ground or in trees. Unlike Microhierax falconets, they do not hawk insects from the air. [5]
This species has been little studied in the wild. It uses holes in trees for nesting, the female incubates the eggs during the day. The female lays a clutch of two white eggs, approximately 35 mm (1.4 in) long. [5] [8]
A pair have been observed to nest in a woodpecker hole, both the male and female roosting there overnight. [5]
The falcons and caracaras are around 65 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family likely originated in South America during the Paleocene and is divided into three subfamilies: Herpetotherinae, which includes the laughing falcon and forest falcons; Polyborinae, which includes the spot-winged falconet and the caracaras; and Falconinae, the falcons and kestrels (Falco) and falconets (Microhierax).
The Seychelles kestrel is a small bird of prey belonging to the genus Falco in the falcon family, Falconidae. It is endemic to the Seychelles Islands where it is the only breeding bird of prey. It is known in Seychellois Creole as the katiti after its loud, shrill call.
The African pygmy goose is a perching duck from sub-Saharan Africa. It is the smallest of Africa's waterfowl, and one of the smallest in the world.
The Amur falcon is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern and East African coasts.
The Australian hobby, also known as the little falcon, is one of six Australian members of the family Falconidae. This predominantly diurnal bird of prey derives its name ‘longipennis’ from its long primary wing feathers. It occurs throughout Australia and other neighbouring countries with migrating individuals found on the islands of Indonesia and New Guinea.
The African pygmy falcon —or simply pygmy falcon—is a diminutive raptor native to eastern and southern Africa. It is the sole species in its monotypic genus, Polihierax. The pygmy falcon is the smallest bird of prey on the African continent, and among the smallest raptors on earth; only the Asian falconets are smaller, weighing roughly 30-40 grams less and measuring about 5 cm shorter from head-to-tail.
The black-thighed falconet is one of the smallest birds of prey, typically measuring between 14–16 centimetres (5.5–6.3 in) long, with a 27–32 centimetres (11–13 in) wingspan, which is a size comparable to a typical sparrow. It is native to Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, and vagrant to Sri Lanka.
The plumbeous forest-falcon is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae only found in the Chocó region in Colombia and Ecuador. This rare bird has not been often spotted, which makes its study complicated. For a long time, it was considered to be part of the lined forest-falcons but it now known to be a species of its own. It is currently considered a vulnerable species because of the precarity of its habitat that is threatened by deforestation.
The collared forest falcon is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is the largest member of the Micrastur genus and a common inhabitant of tropical rainforests in Latin America. Hiding in the dense forest canopy, they are a secretive bird often only recognized by their distinctive call. With a morphology or body type allowing them to be agile in their forested habitat, their diet comprises a wide variety of prey from smaller frogs to adult turkeys (2.7-3.2 kg).
The collared falconet is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae.
The typical falconets, Microhierax, are a bird of prey genus in the family Falconidae. They are found in southeast Asia and the smallest members of Falconiformes, averaging about 15 cm (5.9 in) in length and 35 g (1.2 oz) in weight. The smallest members of the genus are the relatively widespread black-thighed falconet, and the white-fronted falconet on the island of Borneo.
The Philippine falconet is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae, genus Microhierax. It is endemic to the lowland forests of Philippines, and can often be seen near open forest edges hunting flying insects. Philippine falconets nest in woodpecker holes of dead trees, and can be seen fairly commonly within their suitable habitats. Although the Philippine falconet population is declining due to habitat loss, it is still evaluated as "Least Concern" globally.
The white-fronted falconet, also called the Bornean falconet, is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Described by the British ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1879, it is endemic to Borneo, where it is found in Sarawak, Sabah, and extreme northeastern Kalimantan. An extremely small falcon, it is only 14–17 cm (5.5–6.7 in) long and weighs 35–65 g (1.2–2.3 oz), being the smallest species of falconet. It has glossy bluish-black upperparts, black flanks and outer thighs, and a black mask. The belly and vent are pale yellowish-brown, while the throat, cheeks, and breast are white. The species can be told apart from other falconets by the colour of its crown and forehead, which is white in males and reddish-brown in females. It has no subspecies.
The pied falconet, is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The spot-winged falconet is a species of bird of prey in subfamily Falconinae of family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and possibly Uruguay.
Falconinae is a subfamily of falconid birds of prey that includes 44 species in three genera. It includes Microhierax, Polihierax, and Falco. Molecular data since 2015 has found support in the grouping of these genera, with Polihierax being paraphyletic in respect to Falco. Falconinae and their sister taxon, Polyborinae, split off from Herpetotherinae around 30.2 million years ago in the Oligocene epoch. Falconines split off from the polyborines around 20 million years ago in the Miocene epoch.
P. insignis may refer to:
Media
Media related to Neohierax insignis at Wikimedia CommonsTaxonomy
Data related to Neohierax insignis at Wikispecies
