Abstract
The genus Leptodon encompasses two Neotropical raptor species. The more widely-distributed Gray-headed Kite (Leptodon cayanensis) occurs in a vast area of Neotropical region, while the White-collared Kite (Leptodon forbesi) is endemic of the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, but there are some questions about the extent of its geographic distribution and about its sympatry with its congener. Here we present a review of the geographic distribution and the diagnoses of L. forbesi, correcting recent records based on misidentifications. We also clarify the main features of juvenile and subadult plumage of Leptodon raptors and describe new phases of juvenile plumage.
Highlights
The genus Leptodon Sundevall, 1836 encompasses two Neotropical raptor species – the Gray-headed Kite Leptodon cayanensis (Latham, 1790) and the White-collared Kite Leptodon forbesi (Swann, 1922)
The second species, L. forbesi, occurs in the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, but there are some questions about the extent of its geographic distribution
There is no doubt on the occurrence of L. forbesi throughout the Pernambuco Center of Endemism (PCE) – the Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco river, from Alagoas to Rio Grande do Norte states – but some authors suggest a wider distribution, south of the São Francisco river in Sergipe and Bahia states, occurring in sympatry with L. cayanensis (Seipke et al, 2011; Leite et al, 2017; Pereira et al, 2019)
Summary
The genus Leptodon Sundevall, 1836 encompasses two Neotropical raptor species – the Gray-headed Kite Leptodon cayanensis (Latham, 1790) and the White-collared Kite Leptodon forbesi (Swann, 1922). There is no doubt on the occurrence of L. forbesi throughout the Pernambuco Center of Endemism (PCE) – the Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco river, from Alagoas to Rio Grande do Norte states – but some authors suggest a wider distribution, south of the São Francisco river in Sergipe and Bahia states, occurring in sympatry with L. cayanensis (Seipke et al, 2011; Leite et al, 2017; Pereira et al, 2019). We review the records of L. forbesi in order to shed light on its geographic distribution, and clarify some features of the juvenile and subadult plumage of both species.
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