Gampsonyx swainsonii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii) is a very small raptor found in open savanna habitat adjacent to deciduous woodland in Central and South America. It is the only member of the genus Gampsonyx. The scientific name commemorates the English naturalist William Swainson.
The type specimen was collected from Brazil by English naturalist William Swainson, and described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1825. Vigors noted the similarity to both hawks and falcons, but placed Gampsonyx within the "Accipitrine subfamily" because it lacks the notched beak of the falcons. He also noted its striking resemblance to the coloration of the falconets.
Later, the pearl kite was classified with the falcons. For example, Peters placed it with the forest falcons in subfamily Polyhieracinae. In the mid-20th century it was found to be related to Elanus based on morphology and its molt schedule.
This tiny kite breeds from Panama, Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia and northern Argentina, with an isolated sedentary population in Nicaragua. It is expanding its range and was proved to breed on Trinidad in 1970. It was first reported in Costa Rica... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 3 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 7 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Masaya Volcano National Park | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maracaibo | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 2 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 7 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 9 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 10 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mangal das Garças | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pearl Kite sighting in Maracaibo on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 38th most-seen of the 89 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pearl Kite in Maracaibo on a given day, against under 5% in January, July and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pearl Kite sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Pearl Kite sightings, Maracaibo has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Panama City (Panama, under 5%) and Fortaleza (Brazil, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Pearl Kite that you can see in Maracaibo (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Harris' Hawk (about 10%) and Common Black-Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pearl Kite is recorded against all the birds logged in Maracaibo (32 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
