Plumbeous Kite

Overview

The plumbeous kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is resident in much of northern South America. It is migratory in the northern part of its range, which extends north to Mexico.

Identification

• Adults are mainly slate-grey with a paler head and underparts, while immatures have white-streaked grey upperparts and dark-streaked whitish underparts.
• The short black tail features 2–3 white bands on the undersurface, and in flight, a rufous primary patch is visible.
• The eyes are red and the legs are orange.
• The call is a whistled 'si-see-oo'.

Habitat

The plumbeous kite inhabits lowland forest and savannah, breeding in the Neotropical realm from eastern Mexico to Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, as well as on Trinidad. Populations in the northern and southern extremes of the breeding range are migratory, moving into tropical South America during the northern winter.

Diet

This species primarily feeds on insects, which it catches either in flight or from a perch. It will also occasionally prey on snails, frogs, lizards, bats, birds, and snakes.

Did you know?

The species was formally described in 1788 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin, who based his description on the 'spotted-tailed hawk' previously described by John Latham from a specimen originating in Cayenne.