The Story
I photographed this female Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) at El Escondite Reserva Natural, a private reserve near Villagarzón, Putumayo, Colombia. The species is 38 to 42 centimeters long and feeds mostly on tree snails, holding a snail in its talons and prying open the shell with its hooked beak. It weighs between about 215 and 397 grams, and it lays one or two eggs in a small, shallow nest. Tree snails are a vital part of its diet. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/1000 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, −1 EV. El Escondite protects 124 hectares of forest, and more than 410 bird species have been recorded there.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) belongs to the family Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List