visually and ecologically almost identical to the sympatric mantled hawk (Leucopternis polionotus) and some allopatric white hawks (L. albicollis) but differs in tail color. According to the mtDNA data, it is very closely related to the savanna hawk, which is visually dissimilar, appearing like a very light Buteogallus which has an ochre-grey coloration due to abundant pheomelanins. Either there has been strong convergent evolution in plumage and ecology - perhaps a case of mimicry - between the white-necked and the mantled hawks, or the mtDNA data is misleading due to ancient hybrid introgression. In the respect, the white-necked hawk specimen sampled showed indications of heteroplasmy. The placement of the peculiarly apomorphic rufous crab hawk in regard to all these birds must be considered unresolved for the time being. Fossil record The fossil record of Buteogallus has meanwhile turned out to be quite rich indeed, with many species being erroneously assigned to other genera at first. The genus – like many buteonines of today – probably succeeded earlier birds of prey during the Miocene and never seems to have occurred outside the Americas. From the time of the last ice age, an array of prehistoric species is known, some of them very large. On Cuba, a particularly gigantic species survived deep into the last ice age, but probably not until human settlement. †Buteogallus enectus (Middle Miocene; Sheep Creek, Sioux County, USA) †Buteogallus sodalis (Middle Pleistocene; Fossil Lake, Oregon) – formerly in Aquila †Buteogallus fragilis (Late Pleistocene; Southwestern USA) – formerly in Buteo or Geranoaetus †Buteogallus milleri (Late Pleistocene of Southwestern, USA) – formerly in Buteo or Geranoaetus †Buteogallus royi (Late Pleistocene of Cuba) †Buteogallus borrasi (prehistoric) – formerly in Aquila or Titanohierax †Buteogallus daggetti (prehistoric) †Buteogallus woodwardi (Late Pleistocene, Southwestern USA) - formerly Amplibuteo †Buteogallus hibbardi (Late Pleistocene, Peru) - formerly Amplibuteo †Buteogallus concordatus (Late Pliocene of Florida) - formerly Amplibuteo †Buteogallus irpus (Late Pleistocene of Cuba and Dominican Republic) References Hawks Bird genera Taxa named by René Lesson Taxonomy articles created by Polbot