CHAP. XVIII.] 
BIRDS. 
347 
Family 96.— FALCONID^E. (69 Genera, 325 Species.) 
General Distribution. 
Neotropical 
Sub-regions. 
Nearctio 
Sub-regions. 
PaLyEARCTIC 
Sub-regions. 
Ethiopian 
Sub-regions. 
Oriental 
Sub-regions. 
Australian 
Sub-regions. 
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 
1 . 2 .3 . 4 
1 . 2 .3 .4 
1 .2 . 3. 4 
1 . 2 . 3.4 
1 . 2 . 3 .4 
The Falconidse, including the various groups of Hawks, 
Kites, Buzzards, Eagles, and Falcons, are absolutely cosmopolitan, 
ranging far into the arctic zone and visiting the most remote 
oceanic islands. They are abundant in all the great continents 
and larger islands, preferring open to woody regions. They are 
divided into several sub-families, the range of some of which are 
restricted. For this family as well as the preceding I follow the 
arrangement of Mr. Sharpe’s British Museum Catalogue , and shall 
give the approximate distribution of each sub-family, as well as 
of the several genera, 
Sub-family I. Polyborinje (2 genera, 10 species), the Neo- 
tropical region with California and Florida, Tropical and South 
Africa. — Polyborus (2 sp.), South America, and to California and 
Florida; llyder (8 sp.), Tierra del Fuego to Honduras and 
Guatemala. 
Cariama and Serpentarius, which Mr. Sharpe puts here, are 
so anomalous that I think it better to class them in separate 
families — Serpentariidse among the Accipitres, and Cariamidse 
near the Bustards. 
Sub-family II. Accipitrin^e (10 genera, 87 species). — Cosmopo- 
litan.— Polyboroides (2 sp.), Africa and Madagascar ; Circus (15 sp.), 
Old and New Worlds, widely scattered, but absent from Eastern 
Equatorial America, and the Malay Archipelago except Celebes ; 
Micrastur (7 sp.), and Geranospiza (2 sp.), Tropical parts of Neo- 
tropical region ; Urotriorchis (1 sp.), West Africa ; Erythrocnema 
(1 sp.), Chili and La Plata to California and Texas ; Melierax (5 
sp.), Africa except West African sub-region ; Astur (30 sp.), cos- 
mopolitan, except the Temperate South American sub-region ; 
