Snail Kite
Rostrhamus sociabilis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusRostrhamus
- SpeciesRostrhamus sociabilis (Snail Kite)
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. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Carara National Park
Gray-lined Hawk
Buteo nitidus
Crane Hawk
Geranospiza caerulescens
Roadside Hawk
Rupornis magnirostris
Plumbeous Kite
Ictinia plumbea
Double-toothed Kite
Harpagus bidentatus
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Common Black-Hawk
Buteogallus anthracinus
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
Zone-tailed Hawk
Buteo albonotatus
American Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Gray-headed Kite
Leptodon cayanensis
Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Snail Kite at Carara National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there