Editing Circaetinae

{{Short description|Subfamily of birds}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{automatic taxobox
| name = Snake eagles
| image = Pithecophaga jefferyi front.jpg
| image_caption = [[Philippine eagle]] (''Pithecophaga jefferyi'')
| taxon = Circaetinae
| authority = [[Edward Blyth|Blyth]], 1851
| type_genus = ''[[Circaetus]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Louis Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], 1816
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = See text.
}}

'''Circaetinae''' is a [[subfamily]] of the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Accipitridae]] which contains a group of medium to large broad-winged [[birds of prey]].<ref>{{cite journal  |last1=Lerner |first1=Heather R.L. |last2=Mindell |first2=David P. |title=Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA |year=2005 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=327–346  |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.04.010|pmid=15925523 |bibcode=2005MolPE..37..327L }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mindell |first1=David P. |last2=Fuchs |first2=Jérôme |last3=Johnson |first3=Jeff A. |chapter=Phylogeny, taxonomy, and geographic diversity of diurnal raptors: Falconiformes, Accipitriformes, and Cathartiformes |title=Birds of Prey |year=2018  |pages=3–32 |isbn=978-3-319-73744-7 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-73745-4_1 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326086278}}</ref> The group is sometimes treated as tribe Circaetini.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first1=Dickinson |editor-last1=Edward C. |editor-first2= James V. |editor-last2=Remsen Jr. |title=The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World |volume=((1: Non-passerines)) |edition=4th |year=2013 |url=http://www.nhbs.com/the-howard-and-moore-complete-checklist-of-the-birds-of-the-world-volume-1-book |publisher=Aves Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ACCIPITRIDAE - Kites, Hawks and Eagles |url=https://www.aviansystematics.org/checklist?viewfamilies=36 |website=Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date=27 March 2024 }}</ref> These [[bird]]s mainly specialise in feeding on snakes and other reptiles, which is the reason most are referred to as "snake-eagles" or "serpent-eagles". The exceptions are the [[bateleur]], a more generalised hunter, and the [[Philippine eagle]], which preys on mammals and birds.

All but one of the subfamily are restricted to warmer parts of the [[Old World]]: ''Spilornis'' and ''Pithecophaga'' in south Asia, the others in Africa. The short-toed eagle ''Circaetus gallicus'' migrates between temperate Eurasia and Africa, as well as being resident in India.

They have hooked [[beak]]s for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs and powerful [[Talon (anatomy)|talons]]. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential [[prey]] from a distance.

==Taxonomy==
The subfamily Circaetinae was introduced in 1851 by the English zoologist [[Edward Blyth]] with ''[[Circaetus]]'' as the [[type genus]].<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Blyth | first=Edward | author-link=Edward Blyth | year=1851 | title=Conspectus of the ornithology of India, Burma, and the Malayan Peninsular, inclusiveof Sindh, Asám, Ceylon, and the Nicobar Islands | journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal | volume=19 | issue= | pages=317–342 [317, 327] | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40129040 }}<!--uncertain about the date - volume has 1851 on title page but could have been published in 1850--></ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Bock | first=Walter J. | author-link=Walter Joseph Bock | year=1994 | title=History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names | series=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume=222 | publisher=American Museum of Natural History | location=New York | page=132 | hdl=2246/830 | url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/830 }}<!--Linked page allows download of the 48MB pdf--></ref>

The genus level [[cladogram]] of the Circaetinae shown below is based on a [[molecular phylogenetic]] study of the Accipitridae by Therese Catanach and collaborators that was published in 2024.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Catanach | first1=T.A. | last2=Halley | first2=M.R. | last3=Pirro | first3=S. | date=2024 | title=Enigmas no longer: using ultraconserved elements to place several unusual hawk taxa and address the non-monophyly of the genus ''Accipiter'' (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) | journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society | pages=blae028 | doi=10.1093/biolinnean/blae028| url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2023/07/15/2023.07.13.548898.full.pdf }}</ref>
{{Clade | style=font-size:100%;line-height:100%
|label1='''Circaetinae'''
|1={{clade
   |1=''[[Spilornis]]'' – serpent eagles (6 species)
   |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Pithecophaga]]'' – Philippine eagle
      |2={{clade
         |1=''[[Terathopius]]'' – Bateleur
         |2=''[[Circaetus]]'' – snake eagles (7 species)
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}

The following taxonomy is based on the [[International Ornithologists' Union|International Ornithological Congress]].<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=February 2025 | title=Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors | work=IOC World Bird List Version 15.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/raptors/| publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=22 March 2025 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Genus   !! Living Species
|-
|[[File:Andaman Serpent Eagle Albin 1.jpg|175px]]
|'''''[[Spilornis]]''''' {{small|G.R. Gray, 1840}}
|
* [[Crested serpent eagle]], ''S. cheela''
* [[Great Nicobar serpent eagle]], ''S. klossi''
* [[Mountain serpent eagle]], ''S. kinabaluensis''
* [[Sulawesi serpent eagle]], ''S. rufipectus''
* [[Philippine serpent eagle]], ''S. holospilus''
* [[Andaman serpent eagle]], ''S. elgini''
|-
|[[File:Philippine eagle 2.jpg|175px]]
|'''''[[Pithecophaga]]''''' {{small|Ogilvie-Grant, 1896}}
|
* [[Philippine eagle]], ''P. jefferyi''
|-
|[[File:Brown snake eagle, Kruger National Park (38184851511).jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Circaetus]]''''' {{small|Vieillot, 1816}}||
* [[Congo serpent eagle]], ''C. spectabilis''
* [[Short-toed snake eagle]], ''C. gallicus''
* [[Beaudouin's snake eagle]], ''C. beaudouini''
* [[Black-chested snake eagle]], ''C. pectoralis''
* [[Brown snake eagle]], ''C. cinereus''
* [[Southern banded snake eagle]], ''C. fasciolatus''
* [[Western banded snake eagle]], ''C. cinerascens''
|-
|[[File:BateleurKNP.JPG|175px]]
|'''''[[Terathopius]]''''' {{small|Lesson, 1830}}
|
* [[Bateleur]], ''T. ecaudatus''
|-
|[[File:EutriorchisAsturKeulemans.jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Eutriorchis]]''''' {{small|Sharpe, 1875}}{{refn|group=note|''Eutriorchis'' is genetically related to ''Gypaetus'', and so might be classified with the Gypaetinae rather than Circaetinae. {{cite web|last1=Lerner|first1=Heather R. L.|last2=Mindell|first2=David P.|title=Accipitridae|url=http://tolweb.org/Accipitridae/26375/2006.05.09|website=The Tree of Life Web Project|date=9 May 2006}} }}||
* [[Madagascar serpent eagle]], ''E. astur''
|-
|}

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Circaetinae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q656019}}

[[Category:Circaetinae| ]]
[[Category:Bird subfamilies]]
[[Category:Eagles]]
[[Category:Accipitridae]]


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