The family Accipitridae encompasses many of the diurnal birds of prey, including the familiar hawks and eagles. It is one of the largest avian families, and the largest family in the order Falconiformes. The Howard and Moore Checklist of the Birds of the World recognizes 233 species in 67 genera in this family worldwide. Twenty-four of these species and 14 genera are native to North America. Many of the species in this family also include multiple subspecies. For example, up to 23 subspecies of the Accipiter novaehollandiae are recognized. ("The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World", 2003; Kemp and Newton, 2003; Snyder, 2001; Thiollay, 1994)

 

A great deal of diversity exists among the members of the Accipitridae. Members of this family span the globe, living in habitats as wide ranging as tundra, alpine meadows and rainforests. They eat fish, mammals, birds, bats, invertebrates, carrion and some fruit. They nest on cliffs, in trees or sometimes on the ground and lay between one and nine eggs. Physical size is also quite variable within this group, with wingspans ranging from 50 cm to 3 m. (Snyder, 2001; Thiollay, 1994)