A David Mead original from Raptors of the World, published by Christopher Helm as a Handbook (2001) and a Field Guide (2005).

PLATE 13 in Handbook (Field Guide plates 15 & 16)

Grey-headed Kite Leptodon cayanensis
Central and South America

Plumbeous Kite Ictinia plumbea
Central and South America

Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
S USA, Mexico, South America

ABOUT THE BIRDS Like the honey-buzzards (plates 6 and 10), the Grey-headed Kite is fond of the larvae and combs of wasps and bees. A sluggish species, it spends much of its time resting, well hidden in the forest canopy. See also Forbes’s Kite (plate 13a).

The closely related Plumbeous and Mississippi Kites catch flying insects on the wing. Both species are gregarious and sometimes seen in flocks of hundreds on migration.

Medium Gouache on tinted acrylic gesso
Image size 8in x 12in (20cm x 30cm)