Reflections of the Natural World

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ABOUT THIS SPECIES

HOOK-BILLED KITE – (Species Account Blog #87)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Accipitriformes,
• FAMILY: Accipitridae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Chondrohierax uncinatus

The Hook-billed Kite is a widespread raptor of tropical America, occasionally reaching as far north as southern Texas. It can be identified in all plumages by its fiercely hooked bill and yellow or orange spots on face and bill. In flight, note the blunt, bulbous wings, strongly barred flight feathers, and broad tail bands. Male is mostly gray with faint white or tan barring on the underparts. Female has a brown collar and brown and white barred underparts; the pattern and color vary somewhat throughout its range. Juvenile is mostly white below with very sparse barring. (from Birds of the World)

SIMILAR SPECIES

Adults, if seen well when perched, are unlikely to be confused. Their large, strongly hooked bill, pale eye with an orange spot in front, and greenish lores are unique. For the most part, when flying, their distinctive paddle-shaped silhouette and their rather loose, floppy wing beats, serve to separate Hook-billed Kite from superficially similar species.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

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PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

In Costa Rica we observed 6 or 7 Hook-billed Kites at a chayote farm near Ujarrás, Cartago Province.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding