Double-toothed Kite

How to find it

Look for it flying over forest, where the white under-tail shows. Watch for it soaring with its wings bowed down and its tail closed, and puffy white feathers at the base of the tail. Check near monkey troops, which it follows to catch fleeing prey, and capuchins are a good troop to follow. It is rarely seen perched, but groups have had scope views of perched birds at La Selva and at Carara. Another group saw one soaring in the morning thermals.

How to recognise it

Look for a fairly small, dark grey raptor. Across its whole range it is 29 to 35 cm long, with a wingspan of 60 to 72 cm.

In flight the white rump patch stands out. The white feathers under the tail are very conspicuous when the bird flies.

The two 'teeth' on the upper bill that give the kite its name cannot be seen in the field, so do not wait for them.

Females can show an all-rufous breast, as one photographed near Pavones on the southern Pacific coast.

Immature birds look very different from adults. They have deep brown upperparts and whitish to buff underparts with bold vertical brown streaks, so young birds can be mistaken for other streaked raptors.

What it sounds like

Recording: Tommy Andriollo, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

In Costa Rica this kite often follows troops of monkeys and eats the lizards and insects that the monkeys scare into view. At Arenal, tour groups watched capuchin troops and found kites tagging along twice, once with two pairs at one troop.

Across its range it usually hunts from a perch above the forest floor and dives down to take its prey. Most of its food is lizards such as anoles and geckos, plus insects like cicadas, grasshoppers and beetles, and it also takes bats at times.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica this kite ranges from sea level up to at least about 1,200 m, on both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes. It is a bird of forest.

Tortuguero's checklist lists it as a resident of forest there, with a status of fairly common. It has also been recorded in the southern Pacific foothills, the Turrialba area and the San Gerardo de Rivas area. A naturalist's blog says these kites are seen mainly in southern Costa Rica.

Similar birds

At Manuel Antonio, birders separated it from the Roadside Hawk this way. The kite is slimmer, with a bigger head and eye and a smaller bill, and it is more evenly brick-coloured below. Roadside Hawk has orange wing patches. Streaked young kites can also be mistaken for other streaked raptors.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The official Spanish name in Costa Rica is Gavilán Gorgirrayado. Costa Rican lists show no separate nickname for this kite, unlike the Plumbeous Kite and some other raptors.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rican list marks it as a resident species, and globally it is rated Least Concern.

Photography tips

Scan the sky over forest for the white under-tail, and stay near monkey troops, where kites tag along to catch fleeing prey. Scope views of perched birds at La Selva and Carara give the best chance to study one sitting still.