Pearl kite
Gampsonyx swainsonii Vigors, 1825
The pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 92.9 g to 107 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the pearl kite
- Weight
- 92.9 g – 107 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 45 cm – 55 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 35 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.4 – 2.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the pearl kite?
Where does the pearl kite live?
Not recorded
What is the pearl kite?
The pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii) is a very small raptor found in open savanna habitat adjacent to deciduous woodland in Central and South America. It is the only member of the genus Gampsonyx. The scientific name commemorates the English naturalist William Swainson.
From the Wikipedia article “Pearl kite” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pearl_kite&oldid=1320597746), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the pearl kite endangered?
The pearl kite is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the pearl kite classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae
- genusGampsonyx
- SpeciesGampsonyx swainsonii Vigors, 1825
Other names and names in other languages (38)
- حدأة اللؤلؤةArabic
- elani perlatCatalan
- luňák drobnýCzech
- luněc drobnýCzech
- barcud wynepgochWelsh
- DværgglenteDanish
- PerlaarGerman
- PerlenweihGerman
- perla elanioEsperanto
- Elanio enanoSpanish
- Milano chicoSpanish
- pisihaugasEstonian
- pikkuhaukkaFinnish
- Élanion perleFrench
- Elanion perleFrench
- Taguato'iGuarani
- patuljasta lunjaCroatian
- törpekuhiHungarian
- Nibbio perlatoItalian
- Nibbio di SwainsonItalian
- シンジュトビJapanese
- 진주솔개Korean
- perlamutrinis peslysLithuanian
- ParelwouwDutch
- perleglenteNorwegian
- jaszczurnikPolish
- GampsonyxPortuguese
- gaviãozinhoPortuguese
- peneireiro-pérolaPortuguese
- Коршун-крошкаRussian
- Жемчужный коршун-крошкаRussian
- luniak pestrýSlovak
- Biserna patuljasta lunjaSerbian
- pärlgladaSwedish
- Doğan ÇaylağıTurkish
- шуліка-крихіткаUkrainian
- 小鸢Chinese
- 珠鳶Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the pearl kite
Other species in the same family Accipitridae.
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
Eurasian goshawk
Astur gentilis
Black kite
Milvus migrans
Common buzzard
Buteo buteo
Bearded vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
ComparePearl kite vs Golden eaglePearl kite vs Eurasian sparrowhawkPearl kite vs Eurasian goshawkPearl kite vs Black kite
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the pearl kite?
An adult pearl kite weighs 92.9 g – 107 g and has a wingspan of 45 cm – 55 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the pearl kite endangered?
The pearl kite is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the pearl kite?
The pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pearl-kite
“Pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pearl-kite.
@misc{pearl_kite_2026,
title = {Pearl kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pearl-kite},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}