Gray-headed Kite

Gray-headed Kite

Leptodon cayanensis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Tikal National Park
53 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,879 Verified sightings across all 60 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Gray-headed Kite

The gray-headed kite (Leptodon cayanensis) is a raptor found in open woodland and swamp forests. It shares the genus Leptodon with the extremely rare white-collared kite. It breeds from eastern Mexico and Trinidad south to Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and northern Argentina.

The gray-headed kite is 46–53 cm in length and weighs 410–605 grams (.9–1.3 lb) The adult has a grey head, black upperparts, white underparts, and a black tail with two or three white bars. The bill is blue and the legs grey. The flight is a deliberate flap-flap-glide. Immature birds have three colour morphs; the light phase is similar to the adult, but has a white head and neck, with a black crown and eyestripe, black bill and yellow legs, closely resembling the Black-and-white hawk-eagle (Spizaetus melanoleucus). The rufous phase has a reddish neck with a white throat, black malar stripes and a black, long crest closely resembling the adult Ornate hawk-eagle (Spizaetus ornatus). The dark phase has a blackish head, neck and upper parts, and dark-streaked buff underparts closely resembling the Black hawk-eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus). The sophistication in the mimicry of these juveniles is remarkable and... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Roadside Hawk
LC

Roadside Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rupornis magnirostris

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Plumbeous Kite
LC

Plumbeous Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ictinia plumbea

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
NT

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizaetus ornatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Double-toothed Kite
LC

Double-toothed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Harpagus bidentatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Short-tailed Hawk
LC

Short-tailed Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo brachyurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
American Swallow-tailed Kite
LC

American Swallow-tailed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanoides forficatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White Hawk
LC

White Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leucopternis albicollis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hook-billed Kite
LC

Hook-billed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chondrohierax uncinatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Gray-lined Hawk
LC

Gray-lined Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo nitidus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Hawk-Eagle
LC

Black Hawk-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spizaetus tyrannus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Crane Hawk
LC

Crane Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Geranospiza caerulescens

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Broad-winged Hawk
LC

Broad-winged Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo platypterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
2 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
~10%
3 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
4 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
9 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
10 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
11 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
12 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
13 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
15 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
16 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
17 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
18 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
19 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
21 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
22 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
23 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
24 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
26 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
28 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
30 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
31 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
32 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
34 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
35 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
36 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
37 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
38 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
39 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
40 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
41 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
42 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
43 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
44 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
45 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
46 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
47 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
48 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
49 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
50 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
51 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
52 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
53 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
54 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
55 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
56 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
57 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
58 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
59 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
60 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Gray-headed Kite in Tikal National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Kite sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Gray-headed Kite in Tikal National Park?

July has the highest sighting rate for Gray-headed Kite in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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