Milvus
| Milvus | |
|---|---|
| File:Milvus migrans front(ThKraft).jpg | |
| Black kite, (Milvus migrans) | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Subfamily: | Buteoninae |
| Genus: | Milvus Lacépède, 1799 |
| Type species | |
| Falco milvus Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Species | |
|
See text for discussion | |
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Milvus is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey. The genus was erected by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799 with the red kite as the type species.[1][2] The name is the Latin word for the red kite.[3]
The genus Milvus has in the past been placed in the subfamily Milvinae but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that such a grouping is polyphyletic for Buteoninae. It is now placed in the subfamily Buteoninae.[4][5]
Species
[edit | edit source]The genus contains three species.[6]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red kite | Milvus milvus (Linnaeus, 1758) Two subspecies
|
Western Europe and northwest Africa Map of range |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Black kite | Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) Five subspecies
|
Eurasia and parts of Australasia and Oceania Map of range |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Yellow-billed kite | Milvus aegyptius (Gmelin, JF,, 1788) Two subspecies
|
Sub-Saharan Africa including Madagascar, except for the Congo Basin with intra-African migrations (range marked in light green on map) Map of range |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
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Allozyme data indicates that the genetic diversity in both black and red kites is rather low.[7] Successful hybridization between Milvus kites is fairly commonplace, making mtDNA analyses unreliable to resolve the genus' phylogeny. Furthermore, there is no good correlation between molecular characters and biogeography and morphology in the red kite due to very incomplete lineage sorting.
The yellow-billed kite is apparently a separate species, as indicated by mtDNA phylogeny showing two supported clades,[8] biogeography,[9] and morphology.[9] The black-eared kite is somewhat distinct morphologically, but is better considered a well-marked parapatric subspecies. The status of the Cape Verde kite is in doubt; while not a completely monophyletic lineage according to mtDNA data,[8] it is still best regarded as a distinct species. Whatever its status, this population is extinct.
A prehistoric kite from the Early Pleistocene (1.8 million–780,000 years ago) deposits at Ubeidiya (Israel) was described as Milvus pygmaeus.
References
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- ^ Schreiber, Arnd; Stubbe, Michael & Stubbe, Annegret (2000): Red kite (Milvus milvus) and black kite (M. migrans): minute genetic interspecies distance of two raptors breeding in a mixed community (Falconiformes: Accipitridae). Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 69'(3): 351–365. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (HTML abstract)
- ^ a b Johnson, Jeff A.; Rick T. Watson, and David P. Mindell (7 July 2005). Prioritizing species conservation: does the Cape Verde kite exist?. Proc Biol Sci. (The Royal Society) 272 (7): 1365–1371. [1]
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Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Crochet, Pierre-André (2005): Recent DNA studies of kites. Birding World 18(12): 486–488. HTML section list
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