Vultur harpyja Linnaeus, 1758

Schmitt, Stéphane & Gouraud, Christophe, 2024, The significance of Buffon and Guéneau de Montbeillard’s Histoire naturelle des oiseaux ([1765] - 1783) in the taxonomy of birds: General presentation and correspondence between Buffon’s “ eagles ” and the species acknowledged by Linnaeus (1758, 1766), Brisson (1759 - 1762), and Gmelin (1788 - 1789), Zoosystema 46 (16), pp. 361-409 : 396-398

14. Buffon’s “Urutaurana” or “Ouroutaran” (full species)

14.1. Linnaeus (1758: 86): in the genus “ Vultur ”: “ VULTUR HARPYJA ” G40, S2; marked with a cross, which means that Linnaeus never saw the animal, neither alive nor in a collection. However, Linnaeus wonders whether it is the same species as the “crowned Mexican eagle” observed by his student Daniel Zachariae Hallman (1722-1782) in the Royal Menagerie of Madrid.

REFERENCES. — Hernández (1651: 34, “ Yzquauhtli ”); Ray (1713: 161, “ Yzquauhtli ”, based on Hernández).

DISTRIBUTION. — “ Mexico ” (which corresponds to modern Mexico, South of the United States, and continental Central America).

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — * Harpia harpyja ( Linnaeus, 1758) , according to Linnaeus’s diagnosis and Hernández’s description.

MODERN NOMENCLATURE. — Vultur harpyja Linnaeus, 1758 is an available and valid name, the protonym of the name currently in use for the species.

14.2. Brisson (1759a: 446-448, 1762: 26, 1763a: 128): “ AIGLE HUPÉ DU BRÉSIL ”, “ AQUILA BRASILIENSIS CRISTATA ”, species 13 of genus IX (“Aigle”, “ Aquila ”), order III, section 1.

OBSERVATION. — No direct observation. Description mainly borrowed from Markgraf.

REFERENCES. — Nieremberg (1635: 217), “ Aquila cristata ”, based on Hernández; Markgraf (1648: 203-204), “ Urutaurana ”; Hernández (1651: 34), “ Yzquauhtli ”; Jonston (1657: 139, pl. 59), based on Markgraf, and (1657: 153), based on Hernández; Willughby (1676: 32, pl. 4), based on Markgraf, and Willughby (1676: 299), based on Hernández; Ray (1713: 7 no. 8), based on Markgraf, and Ray (1713: 161), based on Hernández; Klein (1750: 42 no. 8), based on Markgraf; Browne (1756: 471), “Oroonoko Eagle”; Linnaeus (1758: [86]), G40, S2.

DISTRIBUTION. — Brazil.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — Brisson confuses two species: Markgraf ’s “ Urutaurana ” and Browne’s “Oroonoko Eagle” are * Spizaetus ornatus ornatus ( Daudin, 1800) (see Herrmann 1989: 189; Boeseman et al. 1990: 127), while Hernández and Nieremberg’s “ Aquila cristata ” or “ Yzquauhtli ” is * Harpia harpyja ( Linnaeus, 1758) . Except for the size, Brisson’s description (feathers and naked parts) mainly corresponds to the former species. Daudin (1800: 77-78) did not refer to any of the authors mentioned here when he defined his Falco ornatus .

14.3. Linnaeus (1766: 121-122): “ VULTUR HARPYJA ” G41, S2, order “ Accipitres ”. REFERENCES. — Hernández (1651: 34); Markgraf (1648: 203-204); Ray (1713: 161, 7 no. 8); Brisson (1759a: 446).

DISTRIBUTION. — “ Mexico ”.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — The references to Markgraf and Brisson result in a confusion (absent from the 1758 edition) between * Harpia harpyja ( Linnaeus, 1758) and * Spizaetus ornatus ornatus ( Daudin, 1800) . Consequently, the given distribution (only “ Mexico ”) does not make sense.

MODERN NOMENCLATURE. — The confusion made in 1766 has no consequence on the nomenclature of the taxon since Vultur Harpyja Linnaeus (ex Hernández) 1758 clearly corresponds to * Harpia harpyja .

14.4. Buffon in Buffon & Guéneau de Montbeillard (1771a: 137- 139), quarto edition; (1771b: 107-110), folio edition: “ URUTAURANA ” or “ OUROUTARAN ” [sic]. Buffon considers that the “Aigle huppé d’Afrique” is a variety of this species (see below, 15.4).

OBSERVATION. — No direct observation. Description mainly borrowed from Brisson, that is, from Markgraf.

REMARK. — In accordance with his own principles of nomenclature, Buffon coined a gallicized form (“ouroutaran”) from the local name of this bird; however, the term never imposed itself in French, because of the underlying confusion, and it disappeared as early as the first decades of the 19th century.

REFERENCES (WITHOUT THE VARIETY). — Markgraf (1648: 203); “Fernandès” = Hernández (1651: 34); Rochefort (1658: 159), “Aigle d’Orénoque”; Garcilaso de La Vega (1744: 275), “Aigle”; Browne (1756: 471); Brisson (1759a: 446).

DISTRIBUTION (WITHOUT THE VARIETY). — South America, “ Mexico ”.

M ODERN IDENTIFICATION. — Confusion of * Spizaetus ornatus ( Daudin, 1800) and * Harpia harpyja ( Linnaeus, 1758) : see the comments on Brisson and Linnaeus (1766). Buffon’s description mainly corresponds to the former species. The birds of prey from the New World mentioned by Rochefort and Garcilaso are not identifiable; as for the African “variety”, see below.

14.5. Gmelin (1788: 251): shifted into the genus “ Falco ”: “ FALCO HARPYJA ” G42, S34, order “ Accipitres ”. REFERENCES. — Linnaeus (1766: 121), G41, S2; Brisson (1759a: 446); Ray (1713: 161); Hernández (1651: 34); Markgraf (1648: 203-204); Ray (1713: 7 no. 8); Willughby (1678: 63, pl. 4), “Crested Eagle”; Latham (1781: 6 no. 2), “Crested Vulture”; refers to Linnaeus, Brisson, Ray, Willughby, and Browne.

DISTRIBUTION. — New Spain (continental Central America and South of the United States); South America.

MODERN IDENTIFICATION. — Confusion of * Spizaetus ornatus ( Daudin, 1800) and * Harpia harpyja ( Linnaeus, 1758) ; see the comments on Brisson and Linnaeus (1766).