Snail kite

Snail kite
Adult male
Adult female, Panama
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Subfamily: Buteoninae
Genus: Rostrhamus
Lesson, 1830
Species:
R. sociabilis
Binomial name
Rostrhamus sociabilis
(Vieillot, 1817)
Subspecies[2]
  • R. s. plumbeus - Ridgway, 1874
  • R. s. levis - Friedmann, 1933
  • R. s. major - Nelson & Goldman, 1933
  • R. s. sociabilis - (Vieillot, 1817)
Range of R. sociabilis
  All-year resident
  Breeding only range
  Area of breeding and vagrancy

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.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Rostrhamus sociabilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22695048A168999707. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22695048A168999707.en. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  2. ^ Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2020. IOC World Bird List (v10.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.2.