Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) lives in tropical forests across Central America. It feeds on snakes and lizards. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Hook-billed Kite
- The hook-billed kite shows dramatic variation in both bill size and plumage, making it a puzzling bird to spot. Individuals viewed from below may appear blackish or gray, especially the males, while females can look brown or brick-red. This colour shift, combined with the bill differences, often makes species identification extremely difficult for observers in the field.
- A pronounced down-curved hook crowns the kite's beak and is clearly visible when the bird is perched or flying low. The hook is not merely decorative; the raptor uses it to pry open the shells of tree snails after seizing the prey with its talons. This specialised feeding technique allows the kite to exploit a food source that many other birds cannot access.
- Weighing between 215 and 397 g and measuring 38-42 cm in length, the hook-billed kite is a mid-sized, slender raptor with a large hooked bill. It inhabits the Americas from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas through Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and into tropical South America.
- The hook-billed kite's beak changes in both size and shape across its range, matching the particular tree-snail species found in each locality. This regional adaptation has been observed as a response to the different snail taxa such as Bulimulus, Homolanyx and Polymita that the kite relies on for food.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeCentral America
HabitatTropical forests
DietSnakes and lizards
About the Hook-billed Kite
In the dappled light of the forest canopy, the Hook-billed Kite glides effortlessly, its broad wings beating in a slow, hypnotic rhythm as it scans the underbrush for unsuspecting prey. With its sharp, hooked beak and piercing gaze, this bird of prey navigates its domain with a silent, almost spectral precision, its every movement a testament to its status as a master of stealth and cunning. As it banks and turns, its wings slice through the air with a soft whoosh, a subtle reminder of the kite's remarkable agility and grace.
Hear the Hook-billed Kite, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
