Family
Falcons and Caracaras
Falconidae
64 species with a page on Motmot.
Order: Falconiformes
The falcons and caracaras are around 65 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae (representing all extant species in the order Falconiformes). The family likely originated in South America during the Paleocene and is divided into three subfamilies: Herpetotherinae, which includes the laughing falcon and the forest falcons; Polyborinae, which includes the spot-winged falconet and the caracaras; and Falconinae, the true falcons, hobbies and kestrels (Falco) and the falconets (Microhierax).
Species in this family
- Guadalupe Caracara Caracara lutosa
- Crested Caracara Caracara plancus
- White-throated Caracara Daptrius albogularis
- Black Caracara Daptrius ater
- Striated Caracara Daptrius australis
- Carunculated Caracara Daptrius carunculatus
- Yellow-headed Caracara Daptrius chimachima
- Chimango Caracara Daptrius chimango
- Mountain Caracara Daptrius megalopterus
- Fox Kestrel Falco alopex
- Amur Falcon Falco amurensis
- Seychelles Kestrel Falco araeus
- Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiaceus
- Brown Falcon Falco berigora
- Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus
- Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
- Saker Falcon Falco cherrug
- Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera
- Merlin Falco columbarius
- Sooty Falcon Falco concolor
- African Hobby Falco cuvierii
- Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus
- Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni
- Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae
- Taita Falcon Falco fasciinucha
- Aplomado Falcon Falco femoralis
- Grey Falcon Falco hypoleucos
- Laggar Falcon Falco jugger
- Australian Hobby Falco longipennis
- Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
- Spotted Kestrel Falco moluccensis
- Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni
- Malagasy Kestrel Falco newtoni
- New Zealand Falcon Falco novaeseelandiae
- Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
- Mauritius Kestrel Falco punctatus
- Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis
- Greater Kestrel Falco rupicoloides
- Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolus
- Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus
- Oriental Hobby Falco severus
- American Kestrel Falco sparverius
- Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo
- Black Falcon Falco subniger
- Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
- Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus
- Banded Kestrel Falco zoniventris
- Laughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnans
- Red-throated Caracara Ibycter americanus
- Buckley's Forest-Falcon Micrastur buckleyi
- Lined Forest-Falcon Micrastur gilvicollis
- Cryptic Forest-Falcon Micrastur mintoni
- Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon Micrastur mirandollei
- Plumbeous Forest-Falcon Micrastur plumbeus
- Barred Forest-Falcon Micrastur ruficollis
- Collared Forest-Falcon Micrastur semitorquatus
- Collared Falconet Microhierax caerulescens
- Philippine Falconet Microhierax erythrogenys
- Black-thighed Falconet Microhierax fringillarius
- White-fronted Falconet Microhierax latifrons
- Pied Falconet Microhierax melanoleucos
- White-rumped Falcon Neohierax insignis
- Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus
- Spot-winged Falconet Spiziapteryx circumcincta
Lookalikes compared
- American Kestrel vs Bat Falcon
- Amur Falcon vs Taita Falcon
- Aplomado Falcon vs Peregrine Falcon
- Buckley's Forest-Falcon vs Collared Forest-Falcon
- Carunculated Caracara vs Fox Kestrel
- Collared Forest-Falcon vs Barred Forest-Falcon
- Collared Forest-Falcon vs Bat Falcon
- Common Kestrel vs Gyr Falcon
- Common Kestrel vs Prairie Falcon
- Dickinson's Kestrel vs Amur Falcon
- Eleonora's Falcon vs Saker Falcon
- Eurasian Hobby vs Lanner Falcon
- Laggar Falcon vs Saker Falcon
- Lesser Kestrel vs Dickinson's Kestrel
- Lesser Kestrel vs Eleonora's Falcon
- Mauritius Kestrel vs Aplomado Falcon
- Mauritius Kestrel vs Black Falcon
- Merlin vs Gyr Falcon
- Merlin vs Oriental Hobby
- Pygmy Falcon vs Dickinson's Kestrel
- Red-footed Falcon vs Amur Falcon
- Red-throated Caracara vs Yellow-headed Caracara
- Rock Kestrel vs Dickinson's Kestrel
- Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon vs Lined Forest-Falcon