A review of flocking behavior by hook-billed kite, chondrohierax uncinatus, in south America

Abstract

The Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) is a diurnal raptor species that is widely distributed across the Neotropics, but some aspects of its social and ecological behavior are poorly understood. Here, we review and report records of flocking behavior of this species at various locations in South America, mainly in Brazil. We report eight new observations of such behavior, mainly in northern Brazil. It is possible that flocking behavior in this species is more common in northern South America than in the southern part of the continent, but it is perhaps overlooked or goes unreported by observers in these places. © 2018, Sociedade Brasileira de Ornitologia. All rights reserved.