Cooperative breeding, in which more than two individuals live in a group and raise offspring, usually in a single nest, is found in only 3% of avian species. Based on a review of the literature, we found reports of groups (usually trios) at nest sites in 42 species of diurnal raptors. At least one example of cooperative breeding was found in 29% of genera and 14% of species, distributed in both the Accipitridae and Falconidae. Given the difficulty of obtaining the behavioral observations necessary to detect cooperative breeding in most raptor species, combined with the large number of species that have been poorly studied, cooperative breeding in diurnal raptors may be more common than our data indicate. However, when data on the sex of the extra bird(s) or the relationships among group members were available, the patterns were quite varied. For 7 of 13 species, groups primarily contained multiple adult males, though three of these species also had groups formed from offspring that had delayed dispersal; three species had a low, but regular, occurrence of multiple females (females of groups laid eggs in the same nest); and the remaining three species were characterized by having extra birds that were yearlings or subadults. In over half of species, groups did not appear to be composed of related individuals, contrary to many cooperatively breeding passerine species where groups are primarily composed of offspring that have delayed dispersal. Our review suggests that the evolution of group living in many raptors may be independent of delayed dispersal, and that the factors important in explaining the evolution of this behavior depend upon the benefits of group living.