NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Hawaiian Hawk
Buteo solitarius Peale, 1849
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 Hawaiian hawk or ʻio (Buteo solitarius) is a raptor in the genus Buteo endemic to Hawaiʻi, currently restricted to the Big Island. The ʻio is one of two extant birds of prey that are native to Hawaiʻi, the other being the pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl) and fossil evidence indicates that it inhabited the island of Hawaiʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi at one time. Today, it is known to breed only on the Big Island, in stands of native ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees. The species was protected as an endangered species in the United States, but was delisted in 2020. However, the IUCN classifies the species as Near Threatened. NatureServe considers the species Vulnerable.
Wikipedia contributors, Hawaiian hawk; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:25:35.859801+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Buteo solitarius Peale, 1849
- Name authority
- Peale, 1849
- Common name
- Hawaiian Hawk
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Buteo
- 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
- genusButeo Lacépède, 1799
- speciesButeo solitarius Peale, 1849
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Buteo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Forest BuzzardButeo trizonatus Rudebeck, 1957 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated HawkButeo albigula Philippi, 1899 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Zone-tailed HawkButeo albonotatus Kaup, 1847 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Himalayan BuzzardButeo refectus Portenko, 1935 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Augur BuzzardButeo augur (Rüppell, 1836) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-necked BuzzardButeo auguralis Salvadori, 1866 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common BuzzardButeo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Galapagos HawkButeo galapagoensis (Gould, 1837) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Upland BuzzardButeo hemilasius Temminck & Schlegel, 1845 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis (G. R. Gray, 1844) | 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.
- Peale, & Titian Ramsay. (1849). United States Exploring Expedition during the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, under the Command of Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. Vol. 8: Mammalia and Ornithology, 1st Edition. 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:NYVS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.