Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus); Gavilán piquiganchudo; Langschnabelweih; Milan bec-en-croc

May I first refer readers to my post of May 27, 2022 regarding this species. At that time I had reported the surprise arrival in my San Antonio garden, at an altitude of more than 1300 m, of a possibly immature grey phase Hook-billed Kite. The adult black-phase individual pictured below has now been here in my garden in San Antonio since late March/early April 2024.

This bird had appeared the previous week but I was unprepared and got little more than a couple of brief glimpses. As luck would have it, Larry came a few days later to fix the garden pond and the same bird reappeared almost exactly upon his arrival. I’m confident that it has been present now for some time.

Larry’s final shot shows the black underparts, red feet and white tail-band. The Hook-billed Kite has appeared in our area sporadically both in the Aquiares coffee fields and also at the Angostura Dam. Both these locations are a good deal lower than San Antonio and correspond more closely to the usual elevations (lowlands and foothills) at which this uncommon and often rare species is found.