- Ictinia plumbea
Identification
29–38 cm (11½-15 in); Long pointed wings
- Slate grey
- Pale head and underparts
- Black twil with 2-3 white bands
- Rufous inner primary webs
- Red eyes
- Orange legs
Sexes are similar
Jveniles: head with strong dark striping, slaty upperparts (may have white feather edges), whitish underparts with dark grey streaks. They lack or have very reduced rufous wing patch.
Distribution
Central and South America
Central America: breeds in eastern and southern Mexico from southern Tamaulipas southwards and from Guatemala to Panama.
South America: ranges from Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad south to Bolivia, southern Brazil and northern Argentina.
Resident in South America but Central American birds move south for the winter.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
A variety of lowland forest types are used. They use more open areas on passage.
Behaviour
Breeding
They build a stick nest in a tree. The clutch consists of 1-2 blue-white eggs. The chicks are fed by both adults.
Diet
Their main diet consists of flying insects. These are supplemented occasionally with other small vertebrates and snails.
Vocalisation
Call: a whistled si-see-oo.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2015)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Plumbeous Kite. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Plumbeous_Kite
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
