Pearl kite

The pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii) is a very small raptor. It lives in open savanna areas near deciduous woodlands in Central and South America. It is special because it is the only bird in its genus. This means no other birds are closely related to it. This unique bird was named to honor the English naturalist William Swainson. He helped study natural history. Pearl kites are interesting birds. They help scientists learn more about biodiversity in their habitats.

Taxonomy and systematics

The type specimen of the pearl kite was collected from Brazil by the English naturalist William Swainson. It was described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1825. He noticed it looked like both hawks and falcons. Later, scientists found that the pearl kite is related to Elanus based on its looks and how its feathers grow.

Distribution and habitat

This tiny kite lives in open areas near forests in Central and South America. It breeds from Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela down to Bolivia and northern Argentina. There is also a group in Nicaragua. The pearl kite is spreading and was confirmed to breed on Trinidad in 1970. It was first seen in Costa Rica in the mid-1990s and is now common along the Pacific slope, up to 1000 meters.

Description

The pearl kite is a very small bird of prey. It measures about 20 to 23 centimeters long and weighs between 80 and 95 grams. It is the smallest raptor in the Americas and one of the two smallest accipitrids in the world, alongside the little sparrowhawk.

Adults have a black crown, back, wings, and tail. They have a rufous-edged white collar, yellow forehead and cheeks, and mainly white underparts. Their legs are yellow. Young birds look similar but have white and chestnut tips on their back and wing feathers, along with a buff-colored collar and some buff coloring on their underparts. When flying, the pearl kite appears mainly black on top and white underneath.

The northern form G. s. leonae has rufous-colored flanks, distinguishing it from the main species G. s. swainsonii. Another neotropical bird, the tiny hawk, is slightly heavier than the pearl kite.

Behaviour

The pearl kite builds a deep cup nest high in trees. The female lays 2 to 4 eggs. She sits on the eggs for about 34 to 35 days until they hatch. The baby birds stay in the nest for another five weeks before they can fly.

These small birds of prey mainly eat lizards, such as Anolis and geckos. They also hunt small birds, frogs, and insects. They often sit on a high branch and swoop down to catch their food. Their call sounds like a musical pip-pip-pip-pip or kitty-kitty-kitty.