Snail kite | |
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Adult male | |
Adult female, Panama | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Accipitriformes |
Family: | Accipitridae |
Subfamily: | Buteoninae |
Genus: | Rostrhamus Lesson, 1830 |
Species: | R. sociabilis
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Binomial name | |
Rostrhamus sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817)
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Subspecies[2] | |
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Range of R. sociabilis All-year resident Breeding only range Area of breeding and vagrancy
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The snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Its relative, the slender-billed kite, is now again placed in Helicolestes, making the genus Rostrhamus monotypic. Usually, it is placed in the Milvine kites, but the validity of that grouping is under investigation.