Gampsonyx swainsonii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pearl Kite sighting in Parque Natural Metropolitano on a given day, based on 84 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 189th most-seen of the 328 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pearl Kite in Parque Natural Metropolitano on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
Among the best
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Pearl Kite sightings, Parque Natural Metropolitano ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tayrona National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%) and Henri Pittier National Park (Venezuela, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Pearl Kite that you can see in Parque Natural Metropolitano (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Short-tailed Hawk (about 10%) and Broad-winged 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 Parque Natural Metropolitano (84 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
