Grey-headed Kite

Overview

The grey-headed kite is a raptor found in open woodland and swamp forests. It shares its genus with the extremely rare white-collared kite and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Adults possess a grey head, black upperparts, white underparts, and a black tail with two or three white bars.
• Measuring 46–53 cm in length, the bird has a blue bill and grey legs, with a deliberate flap-flap-glide flight pattern.
• Immature birds display three distinct colour morphs: a light phase resembling the Black-and-white hawk-eagle, a rufous phase resembling the adult Ornate hawk-eagle, and a dark phase resembling the Black hawk-eagle.
• The call is described as a mewling keow.

Habitat

The species inhabits open woodland and swamp forests. Its range extends from eastern Mexico and Trinidad south to Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and northern Argentina.

Diet

The kite feeds mainly on reptiles such as arboreal geckos, lizards, and snakes, but also consumes frogs, molluscs, and large insects including hornets, wasps, and bees. It occasionally takes eggs, young, or injured birds. It usually sits on an open high perch from which it swoops on its prey.

Did you know?

The sophistication in the mimicry of juvenile grey-headed kites, where different morphs closely resemble other hawk-eagle species, is remarkable and has only been described a few times.