Phalcoboenus | |
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Mountain caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Falconiformes |
Family: | Falconidae |
Subfamily: | Polyborinae |
Genus: | Phalcoboenus d'Orbigny, 1834 |
Type species | |
Phalcoboenus montanus[1] d'Orbigny, 1834
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Species | |
Phalcoboenus carunculatus | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Phalcobaenus d'Orbigny, 1835[3] |
Phalcoboenus is a small genus of caracara in the family Falconidae. They are found in barren, open habitats in the Andes, Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. The four species are almost entirely allopatric. The adults are distinctive, with bare yellow, orange or red facial skin and cere, and a black plumage with variable amounts of white. Juveniles are overall brown with pale pinkish-grey facial skin and cere. They are highly opportunistic and typically seen walking on the ground, where they will feed on carrion and virtually any small animal they can catch.
The name is derived from Greek: φάλκων 'phálcōn' (hawk, falcon) and βαίνω 'baínō' (I go, I walk).[5] The original lithograph print produced for Alcide d'Orbigny is captioned "Phalcobœnus montanus" with an o-e ligature,[6] but his later text has "Phalcobænus montanus" with a-e ligature in "Phalcobaenus".[5]
Genus Oronertus Heine (!) [Phalcobaenus Lafr. 1837]. / 1. megalopterus (Meyen) …Page 272. Heine senior's collection contained three specimens of O./P. megalopterus from Patagonia and Bolivia, carunculatus is not catalogued. They list Ichthyoborus, Alectromorphuus (Buteogallus), Heterospizias, Hypomorphuus, Erythrocnema, Milvago, Polyborus, Daptrius, and Ibycter as sister genera under subfamily Polyborinae.
De φάλκων, faucon, et de βαίνω, je marche : Faucon marcheur.