Ictinia plumbea
The Plumbeous Kite (Ictinia plumbea) is a graceful and agile raptor, distinguished by its sleek, slate-gray plumage, which gives it its "leaden" name. Adults sport striking red eyes, black primary flight feathers contrasting with rufous secondaries (visible in flight), and a dark, relatively short tail that appears square-tipped but can be slightly forked. Measuring 33-38 cm (13-15 in) in length with a wingspan of 70-85 cm (28-33 in) and weighing 190-280 g (6.7-9.9 oz), it possesses a slender...
Found primarily in tropical and subtropical lowlands, inhabiting open woodlands, forest edges, savannas, and riparian corridors, often near water bodies. They generally occur at elevations below 1,000 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on large flying insects such as cicadas, dragonflies, beetles, wasps, and moths, caught on the wing. Occasionally, they will take small reptiles or amphibians.
Plumbeous Kites are diurnal, spending much of the day soaring effortlessly on thermals. They are highly social, especially outside the breeding season, forming communal roosts and often hunting in loose groups. Their foraging strategy involves spectacular aerial hawking, capturing large insects m...
The Plumbeous Kite is a neotropical migrant, breeding from southeastern Mexico (Yucatan, Chiapas) southward through Central America, including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and into northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil)....
Least Concern
- The name "Plumbeous" refers to its lead-colored, or slate-gray, plumage, derived from the Latin "plumbeus. - These kites are master aerialists, capable of catching and consuming large insects like dragonflies while in full flight, rarely needing to land to eat. - They undertake extensive annual...