Slender-billed kite facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender-billed kite |
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| A young slender-billed kite in Careiro da Várzea, Amazonas state, Brazil | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Helicolestes
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| Species: |
hamatus
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| Synonyms | |
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Rostrhamus hamatus |
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The slender-billed kite (Helicolestes hamatus) is a cool bird of prey found in parts of South America. It's a type of bird of prey that belongs to the Accipitridae family. This family includes eagles, hawks, and other kites. You can spot these birds in forests across tropical northern and central South America, and even in eastern Panama.
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What Does the Slender-Billed Kite Look Like?
The slender-billed kite is a gray bird with wide, round wings. It also has a short, square tail. These birds are usually about 36 to 41 centimeters long. Their wings can spread out to 80–90 centimeters wide.
Male and Female Kites
Both male and female slender-billed kites look very similar. Their feathers are the same color. However, females are usually a bit bigger than males. Females weigh between 367 and 485 grams. Males are a little lighter, weighing 377 to 448 grams.
Beak, Eyes, and Legs
These kites have a special sharp, black beak that is hooked. Their sharp, black talons (claws) match their beak. Their eyes are yellowish, and their face and legs are orange-red. Young kites look like the adults. But their eyes are brownish, and they have three thin white stripes on their tail.
How They Compare to Snail Kites
Slender-billed kites look a lot like the male snail kite. Because of this, they were often thought to be in the same bird group. Adult slender-billed kites have yellow eyes, not red ones like snail kites. Their tails are also noticeably shorter.
They also have shorter wings and thinner beaks. Baby slender-billed kites look more like their parents than baby snail kites do.
What Sounds Do They Make?
Their main call sounds like a nasal kee-ee-aay-aay-aay. This call starts high-pitched and then slowly gets lower. You often hear this sound when they are flying or if a predator is nearby. They have another call that sounds like a repeating ker-ah. This sound changes pitch and is sometimes followed by ah-ah sounds. They make this call when they fly towards their mate at the nest.
What Do Slender-Billed Kites Eat?
The slender-billed kite has a special slender beak. This beak helps them hunt aquatic snails. They mostly eat snails from the group called Pomacea. They find these snails in flooded forests and other wet areas.
Hunting Their Food
Even though snails are their main food, they also hunt for crabs. They will sit on low branches and look for prey. Once they spot a snail, they dive down and grab it with their talons. After catching a snail, they hold it in their talon. Then, they use their hooked beak to remove the snail's "door," called the operculum. This allows them to pull the snail's body out of its shell.
Like snail kites, slender-billed kites remove the snail's digestive parts before eating it. It's not known if they also remove other parts, like the albumen. Slender-billed kites usually hunt for smaller snails than snail kites do.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Slender-billed kites build their nests in trees. These trees are usually 9–20 meters high. They choose areas that flood during the wet seasons. They commonly nest from June to October. The whole nesting period lasts about 98 to 112 days.
Eggs and Chicks
Usually, two eggs are laid. The eggs hatch after about 30 days. Young chicks can stand up when they are two weeks old. They can fly successfully by 40 days of age. Until they are about 7 weeks old, the parents feed the chicks pieces of snail directly from their beak.
Courtship Rituals
Male kites try to attract females by bringing them snails. They feed the female snails from beak to beak. The male will keep bringing snails until the female accepts him as her mate.
