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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior pp 1–6Cite as

Accipitriformes Sensory Systems

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Synonyms

Hearing; Magnetoreception; Mechanosensation; Olfaction; Taste; Vision

Definition

The order Accipitriformes include the families Pandionidae (the ospreys, Pandion haliaetus and P. cristatus), Sagittariidae (the secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius), and about 250 species in the family Accipitridae, which has been diverging, since about 34 million years ago, into hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, buzzards as well as Old World vultures (Mindell et al., 2018). The order had earlier been included in Falconiformes but is now recognized as separate order of raptorial birds more closely related to owls (Strigiformes) and New World vultures (Cathartiformes) than to falcons and caracaras (Falconiformes). Accipitriformes are carnivorous birds with sharply hooked bills and curved talons that occur on all continents except Antartica, with the largest diversity in Africa. They range in size from the pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii) and the little sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza minullus)...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Almut Kelber

Authors
  1. Almut Kelber
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Correspondence to Almut Kelber .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

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Kelber, A. (2021). Accipitriformes Sensory Systems. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2117-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2117-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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