Plumbeous Kite
Ictinia plumbea
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
- FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
- GenusIctinia (Mississippi and Plumbeous Kites)
- SpeciesIctinia plumbea (Plumbeous Kite)
About the Plumbeous Kite
The plumbeous kite (Ictinia plumbea) 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. It feeds on insects which it catches either from a perch or while in flight.
The plumbeous kite was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the eagles, hawks and relatives in the genus Falco and coined the binomial name Falco plumbeus. Gmelin based his description on the "spotted-tailed hawk" that had been described in 1781 by the English ornithologist John Latham from a specimen from Cayenne in a private collection in London. It is now placed with the Mississippi kite in the genus Ictinia that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek iktinos for a kite. The specific epithet plumbea is from Latin plumbeus meaning "leaded", "plumbeous" or "lead-coloured". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The plumbeous kite is 34–37.5 cm... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Plumbeous Kite in Los Nevados National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Los Nevados National Natural Park
Mississippi Kite
Ictinia mississippiensis
Roadside Hawk
Rupornis magnirostris
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle
Geranoaetus melanoleucus
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Black-and-chestnut Eagle
Spizaetus isidori
White-tailed Hawk
Buteo albicaudatus
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
White-rumped Hawk
Percnohierax leucorrhous
White-throated Hawk
Buteo albigula
Variable Hawk
Buteo polyosoma
White-tailed Kite
Elanus leucurus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.