Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Slender-billed Kite
Helicolestes hamatus
Slender-billed Kite (Helicolestes hamatus) — Birds of Prey of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Slender-billed Kite (Helicolestes hamatus) is a member of the Accipitridae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 425 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Accipitriformes
- Family Accipitridae Kites, Hawks, Eagles
- Genus Helicolestes
- Species hamatus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 425 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Slender-billed Kite is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Slender-billed Kite is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Slender-billed Kite (Helicolestes hamatus) is a species of bird in the Accipitridae family, part of the order Accipitriformes. It occurs naturally across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA e Panama through Amazonia.
It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 425 g, with a wing length of about 29 cm and a tail of around 12.6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 2.4 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Slender-billed Kite?
The Slender-billed Kite is a large bird that weighs around 425 g.
Where does the Slender-billed Kite live?
The Slender-billed Kite is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA e Panama through Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Slender-billed Kite belong to?
The Slender-billed Kite (Helicolestes hamatus) belongs to the Accipitridae family, in the order Accipitriformes.
What does the Slender-billed Kite eat?
The Slender-billed Kite is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Slender-billed Kite migrate?
The Slender-billed Kite is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Slender-billed Kite endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Slender-billed Kite make?
1 real field recording of the Slender-billed Kite — including its flight call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Slender-billed Kite's range?
The Slender-billed Kite has a mapped global range of about 2.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Meet the Accipitridae
A field guide to the Accipitridae family — 254 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.