birds of prey

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Panel with various "German birds of prey" from 1889

In historical systematics, birds of prey (Rapaces, Raptatores) are an order of birds that is composed of today's orders of falcon-like (Falconiformes), birds of prey (Accipitriformes) and owls (Strigiformes).

The fourth edition of Meyer's Konversations-Lexikon defined the birds of prey in 1889 as " large, strongly built animals with a round, large head, strong, curved beak, strong clawed seat feet and long, pointed wings " and assigned them to four families : owls ( Strigidae), falcons (Falconidae or Accipitridae) * , secretaries (Gypogeranidae or Serpentariidae) and vultures (Vulturidae).

In 1888, the comparative anatomist and ornithologist Max Fürbringer published his two-volume main work, Studies on the Morphology and Systematics of Birds , in which, among other things, he documents in detail the sometimes chaotic taxonomic history of birds. Regarding the owls he says (p. 1309): “ With the Accipitres and especially Falconidae s. Latin have been given by most ornithologists close relationships; very many have the owls easily with the day birds of prey [d. H. the o. a. 'Accipitres'] related to the birds of prey or even included in them as a simple family. The same predatory way of life and the related correspondences in the general habitus and in the more special features of their beak and predatory foot formation have generally served as a basis for this association. “He himself comes to the conclusion (p. 1310) - although not the first - in view of numerous but less obvious differences, especially in the structure of the skeleton,“ that the ancestors of the Strigidae (Nyctharpages) and Accipitres (Hemeroharpages, see Euharpages) have not been closely related, but that the similarity of the adaptations gradually cultivated a convergence of characters in both of them, which can easily be taken as an expression of intimate relationships [...]. " Tree birds " ** , or Pelargornithes," shock birds " *** ). He divides the day birds of prey "in harmony with Huxley " into secretaries (Gypogeranidae), New World vultures (Cathartidae) and birds of prey in the traditional sense ("Gypo-Falconidae"), d. H. including the old world vulture . This classification is largely adopted in the volumes of the third edition of Brehm's Thierleben that appeared in the early 1890s .

Until the upheavals that were caused from the 1990s onwards by the increasing basis of relationship analyzes on molecular genetic data in the classification of birds , Fürbringer's systematics “in the main” was valid. For the day birds of prey (“catch birds” in Brehms Thierleben) the common name “birds of prey” and the scientific name Falconiformes were increasingly established in the 20th century, but their composition essentially corresponded to the Fürbringer's Accipitres, including the clear separation of Old World and New World Vultures. The molecular genetic data not only confirmed the distant relationship between owls and day birds of prey, recognized by Fürbringer, among others, but also revealed that the falcons (Falconidae) are not close relatives of hawks (Accipitridae) and New World vultures, but have also developed a raptor-like habit through convergence . Therefore, in more recent systematics, falcon-like (Falconiformes), birds of prey (now Accipitriformes) and owls (Strigiformes) are each listed as separate orders.

* here actually in the sense of Falconidae and Accipitridae
** Trivial Name of Brehm animal life (1891), composition at Fürbringer (1888, p 1567): Coccygiformes (u a.. Cuckoos , Pico-Passeriformes) (u a.. Woodpecker and sparrows , Halyconiformes (u a..) Eisvögel and Horn birds ), Coraciiformes (owls, caprimulgiformes , Kurols , " Raken ")
*** Trivial Name of Brehm animal life (1892), composition at Fürbringer (1888, p 1565): Anseriformes ( Anatidae and †  Gastornis ) Podicipitiformes ( Grebe , †  Hesperornis and relatives ), Ciconiiformes (diurnal birds of prey, frigate , Tropikvögel , pelican , and similar birds , flamingo )

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Meyers Konversations-Lexikon. An encyclopedia of common knowledge. 4th, completely revised edition. 13th volume, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1889, p. 596 f.
  2. ↑ Max Fürbringer: Investigations into the morphology and systematics of birds, at the same time a contribution to the anatomy of the supporting and locomotor organs. II. General Part. Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde 15. Amsterdam 1888, doi: 10.5962 / bhl.title.51998
  3. ^ Alfred Brehm, Wilhelm Haacke, Eduard Pechuel-Loesche: The birds. 2nd volume. Brehms Thierleben, 3rd edition. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig and Vienna 1891, pp. 1–260
  4. ^ Alfred Brehm, Wilhelm Haacke, Eduard Pechuel-Loesche: The birds. 3rd volume. Brehms Thierleben, 3rd edition. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig and Vienna 1892, pp. 202–272
  5. ↑ Manfred Stürzbecher:  Fürbringer, Max Carl. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1961, ISBN 3-428-00186-9 , p. 690 ( digitized version ).
  6. ↑ International Ornithologist's Union: Raptors and Owls. World Bird List, version 8.2, accessed October 26, 2018
  7. ^ Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Aves , accessed April 28, 2011