Accipitrimorphae is a clade of birds of prey that include the orders Cathartiformes (New World vultures) and Accipitriformes (diurnal birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, osprey and secretarybird).

The DNA-based proposal and the NACC and IOC classifications include the New World vultures in the Accipitriformes,[2][6] but the SACC classifies the New World vultures as a separate order, the Cathartiformes[7] which has been adopted here.

The reason for this is the controversial systematic history of the New World vultures as they were assumed to be more related to (or a subfamily of) Ciconiidae (the storks) after Sibley and Ahlquist work on their DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.

[2][5] Regardless of whether to use Accipitrimorphae or Accipitriformes, these birds belong to the clade Telluraves.

[2][5] Cathartiformes (New World vultures) Sagittariidae (Secretarybird) Pandionidae (Osprey) Accipitridae (Hawks, eagles, kites, Old World vultures etc.)