science

Hook-billed kite

Hook-billed kite is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hook-billed kite rather than just read about it. In short: The hook-billed kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus), is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles, and harriers. It occurs in the Americas, including the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and tropical South America.

Key takeaways

Hook-billed kite belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hook-billed kite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hook-billed kite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The hook-billed kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus), is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles, and harriers. It occurs in the Americas, including the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and tropical South America.

Description It is a mid-sized, slender raptor with a large hooked bill. There is extreme variation in bill size and plumage. Birds from beneath can look blackish or gray (especially males) and brown or brick-red (females) variously. This renders species identification at times extremely difficult. The downcurved hook at the tip of the beak is apparent on perched and low-flying birds. Weight can range from 215 to 397 g (7.6 to 14.0 oz) and length is 38–42 cm (15–16.5 in).

Ecology Tree snails (e.g. Bulimulus, Homolanyx, and Polymita) are a vital component of the hook-billed kite's diet. The density of their population within a region is proportional to the presence of tree snails. It has also been observed that the beak of the hook-billed kite has adapted in size and shape between different regions of their territory in response to the species of tree snail available to them. However, terrestrial snails (e.g. Strophocheilus), aquatic snails (e.g. Pomacea), frogs, salamanders, lizards, small mammals, crabs, spiders, caterpillars, and insects are also taken. It supposedly also hunts other birds, but this seems unlikely. When it finds a tree snail it holds it with its talon and uses its beak to pry open the shell.

Breeding 1–2 eggs are laid in the shallow and small nest. Incubation time of around 35 days, both parents incubate.

Taxonomy The critically endangered Cuban kite (C. wilsonii) is considered by some authors to be a subspecies of the hook-billed kite.

References

External links

Stamps for Cuba, Honduras; (includes RangeMap) Associação Mãe-da-lua Hook-billed Kite

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hook-billed kite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hook-billed kite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hook-billed kite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hook-billed kite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hook-billed kite

In research: Hook-billed kite appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hook-billed kite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hook-billed kite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 1822, Birds of Bolivia, Birds of Brazil, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hook-billed kite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hook-billed kite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hook-billed kite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hook-billed kite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hook-billed kite in simple terms?

Why does Hook-billed kite matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hook-billed kite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hook-billed kite.