The name of this order comes from the Latin infinitive accipere (third conjugation) meaning “to grasp”.

In Maine, 19 species in 10 genera in 2 families have been reported. Click on a link below or scroll down for more information.

Family Pandionidae (1 genus, 1 species)
   Pandion (1 species)
      Pandion haliaetus - Osprey
Family Accipitridae (9 genera, 18 species)
   Elanoides (1 species)
      Elanoides forficatus - Swallow-tailed Kite
   Aquila (1 species)
      Aquila chrysaetos - Golden Eagle
   Circus (2 species)
      Circus hudsonius - Northern Harrier
      Circus aeruginosus - Western Marsh Harrier
   Accipiter (1 species)
      Accipiter striatus - Sharp-shinned Hawk
   Astur (2 species)
      Astur cooperii - Cooper’s Hawk
      Astur atricapillus - American Goshawk
   Haliaeetus (2 species)
      Haliaeetus leucocephalus - Bald Eagle
      Haliaeetus pelagicus - Steller’s Sea Eagle
   Ictinia (1 species)
      Ictinia mississippiensis - Steller’s Sea Eagle
   Buteogallus (1 species)
      Buteogallus urubitinga - Great Black Hawk
   Buteo (7 species)
      Buteo lineatus - Red-shouldered Hawk
      Buteo platypterus - Broad-winged Hawk
      Buteo swainsoni - Swainson’s Hawk
      Buteo albonotatus - Zone-tailed Hawk
      Buteo jamaicensis - Red-tailed Hawk
      Buteo lagopus - Rough-legged Hawk
      Buteo regalis - Ferruginous Hawk

Key to the families of Order Accipitriformes reported in Maine

	char. 1	char. 2	char. 3	char. 4	char. 5
Pandionidae
Accipitridae

Family Pandionidae (Osprey Family)

Pandion (osprey)
The name Pandion comes from Pandion I, a mythological king of Athens.

Pandion haliaetus (osprey) is the only species of Pandion worldwide with four subspecies recognized. Our North American (Canada and United States) subspecies is P. h. carolinensis, which winters in South America. It can be recognized by its habit of hovering high above a body of water before plunging into the water to catch a fish. MDI is home to the osprey from April through mid-October [source: Acadia National Park checklist].

(click on image to enlarge)

Family Accipitridae (common name?)

Key to the genera of Family Accipitridae reported in Maine

	char. 1	char. 2	char. 3	char. 4	char. 5
Elanoides
Aquila
Circus
Accipiter
Astur
Haliaeetus
Ictinia
Buteogallus
Buteo

Elanoides (Bittern)
[information to be added]

Elanoides forficatus (Swallow-tailed Kite) - This species is rare in Maine.

Aquila (Eagle)
[information to be added]

Aquila chrysaetos (Golden Eagle) - [information to be added]

Circus (Harrier)
[information to be added]

Key to the species of Circus reported in Maine

	char. 1	char. 2	char. 3	char. 4	char. 5
C. hudsonius
C. aeruginosus

Circus hudsonius (Northern Harrier) - [information to be added]

Circus aeruginosus (Western Marsh Harrier) - This species is rare in Maine.

Accipiter (hawk, goshawk, sparrowhawk)

Accipiter striatus (Sharp-shinned Hawk) - [information to be added]

Astur (Hawk)
[information to be added]

Key to the species of Astur reported in Maine

	char. 1	char. 2	char. 3	char. 4	char. 5
A. cooperii
A. atricapillus

Astur cooperii (Cooper’s Hawk) - [information to be added]

Astur atricapillus (American Goshawk)
Account by Jennifer Fisk of an event on 3 February 2010: “When I got home from work, the rooster and three hens were outside carrying on like there was a crisis. There was. One of the hens was pretty well eaten on the chicken house floor, and the perpetrator was still in the house. I figured the most logical course of action was to get the camera which captured this Goshawk quite nicely. Then I tried turning off the light but he didn't leave. I tried cleaning up the remains but he didn't leave. Finally, I gave him a little boost under the tail with my show shovel. He took off past my head, flew across the yard, 100+ feet, and crashed into my house. He then flew back and made a less than graceful landing in the fir tree next to the hen house. Finally, he flew toward the woods, and the last I heard were talons scraping bark, so I guess he made another stellar landing.”

(photo by Jennifer Fisk; click on image to enlarge)

Haliaeetus (Eagle)
[information to be added]

Key to the species of Haliaeetus reported in Maine

	char. 1	char. 2	char. 3	char. 4	char. 5
H. leucocephalus
H. pelagicus

Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald Eagle)
The specific epithet leucocephalus comes from two words (Greek and then Latin) meaning “white head”. The bald eagle is on the rebound from a low of 29 breeding pairs in Maine in 1972 [source: Maine Natural Areas Program], thanks to the ban of DDT in that year, and is a year-round resident of Maine.

(click on image to enlarge)

Haliaeetus pelagicus (Steller’s Sea Eagle) - This species is rare in Maine.

Ictinia (Kite)
[information to be added]

Ictinia mississippiensis (Mississippi Kite) - This species is rare in Maine.

Buteogallus (Hawk)
[information to be added]

Butuogallus urubitinga (Great Black Hawk) - This species is rare in Maine.

Buteo (Hawk)
[information to be added]

Key to the species of Buteo reported in Maine

	char. 1	char. 2	char. 3	char. 4	char. 5
B. lineatus
B. platypterus
B. swainsoni
B. albonotatus
B. jamaicensis
B. lagopus
B. regalis

Buteo lineatus (Red-shouldered Hawk) - [information to be added]

Buteo platypterus (Broad-winged Hawk) - [information to be added]

Buteo swainsoni (Swainson’s Hawk) - This species is rare in Maine.

Buteo albonotatus (Zone-tailed Hawk) - This species is rare in Maine.

Buteo jamaicensis (Red-tailed Hawk) - [information to be added]

Buteo lagopus (Rough-legged Hawk) - [information to be added]

Buteo regalis (Ferruginous Hawk) - This species is rare in Maine.