Hook-billed Kite

Hook-billed Kite
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Subfamily:	Perninae
Genus:	Chondrohierax
Species:	C. uncinatus
Binomial name
Chondrohierax uncinatus (Temminck, 1822)

The Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles, and harriers. It occurs in the Americas, including the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and tropical South America.

It is a mid-sized, slender raptor with an invariably striped belly and banded tail but there is probably more individual variation in color and in size of bill than in any other species of diurnal raptor. Birds from beneath can look blackish or gray (especially males) and brown or brick-red (females) variously. This renders species identification at times extremely difficult. The downcurved hook at the tip of the beak is apparent on perched and low-flying birds. Weight can range from 215 to 397 grams (7.6-14 oz.) and length is 38–51 cm (15–20 in).^[1][2]

Tree snails are this raptor's favorite prey but frogs, salamanders, small mammals and insects are also taken. When it finds a tree snail it holds it with its talon and uses its beak to pry open the shell. The nest is a flimsy platform of sticks is built by both sexes. The Hook-billed Kite lays two to three buff-white eggs marked with red-brown. Incubation is by both sexes. Semialtricial young stay in the nest 35–45 days and are fed by both sexes. This raptor is often considered sluggish and retiring, preferring to perch inside leafy canopy when not flying.

The critically endangered Cuban Kite, C. wilsonii, is considered by some authors to be a subspecies of the Hook-billed Kite.

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Chondrohierax uncinatus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.

External links

• Stamps for Cuba, Honduras; (includes RangeMap)

1. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=5YYqd4ROFfkC&pg=PA763&lpg=PA763&dq=hook-billed+kite+cm&source=bl&ots=zteR1B3fcg&sig=zuv01feHfSM2TIwwj6rRUAFEnxU&hl=en&ei=giltTfHJLIiq8AbfrdmMDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=hook-billed%20kite%20cm&f=false
2. ^ http://www.bu.edu/scscb/working_groups/Actions/bird-oct-08-grenada-hook-billed-kite.htm

This Falconiformes article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: IUCN Red List least concern species Perninae Birds of prey Birds of Mexico Birds of the U.S. Rio Grande Valleys Birds of Central America Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula region Birds of Honduras Birds of the Caribbean Birds of Cuba Birds of the Lesser Antilles Birds of South America Birds of the Guianas Birds of the Amazon Basin Birds of Guatemala Falconiformes stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? 40 Boötis 50 Boötis Look at other dictionaries: hook-billed kite — ilgasnapiai pesliai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Chondrohierax angl. hook billed kite vok. Langschnabelweih, m rus. длинноклювый коршун, m pranc. milan bec en croc, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – vanaginiai siauresnis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas hook-billed kite — ilgasnapis peslys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Chondrohierax uncinatus angl. hook billed kite vok. Langschnabelweih, m rus. длинноклювый коршун, m pranc. milan bec en croc, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – ilgasnapiai… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas Kite (bird) — Kites Black Kite Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia …   Wikipedia Cuban Kite — Conservation status Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kin …   Wikipedia List of birds of Brazil — Brazil has one of the richest bird diversities in the world, with more than 1700 species of birds, about 57% of the bird species recorded for all of South America. These numbers are still increasing, almost every year, due to new occurrences or… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Colombia — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Colombia. The avifauna of Colombia includes a total of 1895 species, of which 74 are endemic, 2 have been introduced by humans, and 87 are rare or accidental. 1 species listed is extirpated in… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Venezuela — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Venezuela. The avifauna of Venezuela includes a total of 1417 species, of which 48 are endemic, 6 have been introduced by humans, and 34 are rare or accidental. 27 species are globally… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Ecuador — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Ecuador. The avifauna of Ecuador includes a total of 1663 species, of which 16 are endemic, 2 have been introduced by humans, and 19 are rare or accidental. 77 species are globally threatened.This… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Peru — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Peru. The avifauna of Peru includes a total of 1879 species, of which 139 are endemic, 3 have been introduced by humans, and 72 are rare or accidental. 91 species are globally threatened.This list s… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Bolivia — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Bolivia. The avifauna of Bolivia includes a total of 1448 species, of which 25 are endemic, 2 have been introduced by humans, and 12 are rare or accidental. 31 species are globally threatened.This… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”