Abstract

GAMEZ-BENAVIDES, Raúl E.  and  CEYCA-CONTRERAS, Juan P.. First record of the Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) in Coahuila state, Mexico. Huitzil [online]. 2023, vol.24, n.2, e659.  Epub Mar 05, 2024. ISSN 1870-7459.  https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2023.24.2.714.

In northeast Mexico, the Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) is limited to the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, in Tamaulipas and Nuevo León. On 28 February 2021, we photographed a female Hook-billed Kite circling in flight over an area of coniferous forest at over 2,600 m asl, near the community of Los Lirios, municipality of Arteaga, Coahuila. This represents the first documented record of the Hook-billed Kite in Coahuila state, Mexico. We hypothesize that the richness and abundance of native land snails, and increased abundance of invasive snails in the Sierra Madre Oriental explain the presence of the Hook-billed Kite in the region, given that these mollusks are its principal food. Future monitoring is necessary to confirm residence of this raptor species, and extension of its distribution in northeast Mexico.

Keywords : Accipitridae; Los Lirios; Arteaga; coniferous forest; snail; distribution extensión.