Double-toothed kite


The double-toothed kite is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Description

This fairly small raptor is 33–38 cm long and weighs 161-230 grams It is dark grey in colour. The kite's white rump patch is conspicuous in flight, making the double toothed kite one of the easiest Costa Rican raptors to identify.

Habitat

The double toothed kite is a fairly common bird in the mid and low elevation forests of Central America. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Diet

The double-toothed kite generally hunts from a perch above the rainforest floor. The kite dives quickly downward to catch lizards and insects, the principle staples of its diet. The double toothed kite is an opportunistic hunter, often perching near groups of monkeys in order to capture prey flushed by the large mammals.