Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 169-170.

Order ACCIPITRIFORMES: Secretary-bird, Kites, Eagles, Hawks and Allies The diurnal birds-of-prey (Accipitridae, Sagittariidae, Falconidae and Cathartidae) were long grouped in a single order usually named Falconiformes (from Sharpe 1874, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 1: ix, 1 – suborder Falcones; type Falco Linnaeus), e.g. Peters (1934), Wetmore (1960), Stresemann & Amadon (1979), del Hoyo et al. (1994). However, the strict monophyly of this group is strongly doubted, as revealed by the DNA-hybridisation studies (Sibley et al. 1988, Sibley & Ahlquist 1990) and karyological, pterylogical and morphological studies reviewed in Holdaway (1994a). This has resulted in the removal of Cathartidae, either to its own order or to within storks to which they are most closely related. Increasing evidence suggests that Falconidae and Accipitridae are not closely related (e.g. Fain & Houde 2004, Ericson et al. 2006). We follow Christidis & Boles (2008) in treating these two groups as separate orders. Within Accipitriformes as so defined, genera, as listed by, e.g. del Hoyo et al. (1994) and Dickinson (2003), are demonstrably non-monophyletic based on nuclear and mitochondrial genome data (Bunce et al. 2005, Helbig et al. 2005, Lerner & Mindell 2005, Griffiths et al. 2007). As a result of these and other phylogenetic studies concerning Aquila, Sangster et al. (2005) have transferred Hieraaetus pennatus Gmelin, 1788 to Aquila as Aquila pennata, thereby making Hieraaetus Kaup, 1844 a synonym of Aquila Brisson, 1760. As they restricted comment to Western Palaearctic species, it is not clear what the total advocated composition of Aquila is. However, in such a broadened definition of Aquila, Harpagornis, which was shown by Bunce et al. (2005) to be the sister taxon of Hieraaetus morphnoides and H. pennatus, is a derivative of the common ancestor of all “booted eagles”. Given this, we follow Sangster et al. (2005), Barthel & Helbig (2005), Mebs & Schmidt (2006) and Commission de l’Avifaune Française (2007) in recognising only one genus for the “booted eagles” of the subfamily Aquilinae (sensu Lerner & Mindell 2005).

None of the family-group names in Vieillot’s Analyse d’une nouvelle ornithologie élémentaire (1816) were based on Linnaean generic names (Bock 1994), so none are valid under ICZN (1999). Accipitrini Vieillot, 1816: 22, while designated as a family, does not provide the basis of a valid family-group name. ICZN (1999) does not rule on names above family-group level, so Vieillot names are available for such names. Accipitriformes Vieillot may be used for Accipitridae and Sagittariidae. Brodkorb (1964) provided detailed synonymies of all nomenclatorial groupings that have been proposed.

Family ACCIPITRIDAE Vigors: Kites, Eagles, Hawks and Allies Subfamily ACCIPITRINAE Vigors: Kites, Eagles, Hawks and Allies Accipitrina Vigors, 1824: Zoological Journal 1: 313 – Type genus Accipiter Brisson, 1760.

Within this subfamily we include: Milvinae Vigors, 1824; Aquilinae Vigors, 1824; and Circinae Bonaparte, 1838. The taxon Haliaeetus australis (Harrison & Walker, 1973) is deleted from the New Zealand list as it is considered to be based on bones of the Alaskan bald eagle H. leucocephalus mistakenly mixed with bones from the Chatham Islands after their collection by Forbes (Millener 1999, Worthy & Holdaway 2002).

Genus Milvus Lacépède Milvus Lacépède, 1799: Tableaux Method. Mamm. Oiseaux: 4 – Type species (by tautonymy) Falco milvus Linnaeus = Milvus milvus (Linnaeus).

Milvus migrans (Boddaert) Black Kite Falco migrans Boddaert, 1783; Tables des Planches Enluminéez d’Histoire Naturelle de M. d’Aubenton: 28. Based on ‘Le Milan noir’ of Daubenton 1765–81, Planches Enlum.: pl. 472 – France. Milvus affinis Gould, 1838: Synop. Birds Australia 3: pl. 47, fig. 1 – New South Wales, Australia. Milvus korschun napieri Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18(3): 249 – Napier Broome Bay, Western Australia. Milvus aterrimus Mathews, 1912: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 128 – New South Wales, Australia. Milvus migrans (Boddaert); Stresemann & Amadon 1979, in Peters, Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 297. Milvus migrans; Medway 2000, Notornis 47(1): 65.

Widespread in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Vagrant to New Zealand with six accepted records, all of single birds: Marlborough 13 Aug. 1992, 21 Jul. 1993, 30 Mar. 1994 (Medway 2000a); Waihopai Valley 14 to 15 Aug. 2000 (Medway 2000a) and still present 2005 (Bell 2005); Glentanner, Lake Pukaki 1 Mar. 1994 (Medway 2000a); Auckland localities 5 and 8 Nov. 2001 (Medway 2002e); Mercer, South Auckland Apr. to May 2002 (Medway 2002g, 2003a); Pirinoa, Wairarapa 26 Sep. 2002 (Medway 2002g).