Plumbeous Kite
Plumbeous KitePlumbeous KitePlumbeous KitePlumbeous Kite

Plumbeous Kite

Ictinia plumbea

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Tikal National Park
339 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
10,799 Verified sightings across all 63 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Roadside Hawk
LC

Roadside Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rupornis magnirostris

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
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
Gray-headed Kite
LC

Gray-headed Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leptodon cayanensis

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

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Plumbeous Kite in Tikal National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Plumbeous Kite sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 339 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Plumbeous Kite in Tikal National Park?

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

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