Buteogallus borrasi is an extinct species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of giant buteonine hawk

Hawk

The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...

 formerly endemic to Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. It probably fed on megafauna

Megafauna

In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...

.

It was so huge compared to other Buteogallus

Buteogallus

Buteogallus is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. All members of this genus are essentially Neotropical, but the distribution of a single species extends slightly into extreme southern USA. Most are known as black-hawks or mangrove-hawks...

that it was long believed to be a titan-hawk (Titanohierax

Titanohierax

Titanohierax is an fossil genus of giant hawk from Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. It has one known species, Titanohierax gloveralleni. The extinct crab-hawk Buteogallus borrasi was formerly placed in this genus....

, also extinct) or even an Aquila

Aquila (genus)

Aquila is the genus of true eagles. It is often united with the buteos, sea eagles and other more heavyset Accipitridae, but more recently it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine hawks than believed...

eagle

Eagle

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

. No proper common name exists due to this misconception. Of the commonly used terms for Buteogallus, neither applies either, as it cannot be inferred that the bird shared the dark plumage of many living congeners (the black-hawks); it probably did neither share the crab

Crab

True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...

-eating habits or the mangrove

Mangrove

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...

 habitat common in Buteogallus of today to which the other common names of these birds - crab-hawks and mangrove-hawks - refer. Indeed, the name "Cuban Black-hawk

Cuban Black-hawk

The Cuban Black Hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures....

" refers to a much smaller relative that still lives on the island.