NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black Honey Buzzard
Henicopernis infuscatus J. H. Gurney Sr, 1882
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black honey buzzard (Henicopernis infuscatus), also known as the New Britain honey buzzard, is a large raptor of the family Accipitridae. Standing at around 50 cm (20 in) tall, the adult black honey buzzard has a dark head and body, with striking white bands on its tail and flight feathers. When in flight, the buzzard can be recognized by its long wings and noticeably large secondary feathers. It is thought to be sedentary, with a range limited to the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea, where it is endemic. Due to its remote habitat and tendency to remain in densely forested areas, there is still much to learn about this species.
Wikipedia contributors, Black honey buzzard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:17:18.908659+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Henicopernis infuscatus J. H. Gurney Sr, 1882
- Name authority
- J. H. Gurney Sr, 1882
- Common name
- Black Honey Buzzard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Henicopernis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae Vigors, 1824
- genusHenicopernis G. R. Gray, 1859
- speciesHenicopernis infuscatus J. H. Gurney Sr, 1882
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Henicopernis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Long-tailed Honey BuzzardHenicopernis longicauda (R. P. Lesson & Garnot, 1828) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Gurney, J. H. (1882). Notes on the Raptorial Birds collected in New Britain by Lieut. G. E. Richards, R. N. Ibis, Vol. 6, No. 1. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:CV7BM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.