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|subclass=Neornithes
|subclass=Neornithes
|infraclass=Neoaves
|infraclass=Neoaves
|superorder=Passerimorphae
|superorder=
|order=Accipitriformes
|order=Accipitriformes
|suborder=
|suborder=Accipitres
|infraorder=Falconides
|infraorder=
|superfamily=
|superfamily=Accipitroidea
|families=
|families=
|family=Accipitridae
|family=Accipitridae
|alt=
|alt=
|regionimg=
|regionimg=
|pop=
|pop=50-249 (2016 est.)<ref>https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22728485/94988100#population</ref>
|conservation=
|conservation=Critically endangered<ref>https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22728485/94988100</ref>
}}
}}
The '''Cuban kite''' (''Chondrohierax wilsonii'') is an extremely rare [[bird of prey]] from the family Accipitridae, and found on the island of [[Cuba]]. Originally considered a subspecies of the [[hook-billed kite]] (''Chondrohierax uncinatus''), genetic research confirmed it as a separate species in 2007<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20121016074943/http://peregrinefund.org/docs/pdf/research-library/2007/2007-Johnson-hook-billed-kite.pdf</ref>. It was named in honor of American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.
==Description==
The Cuban kite is medium-sized, with a body length of 14.11 to 16.9 inches, a wingspan of 28 to 36 inches, and weigh 6 to 11.4 ounces males. Females are slightly larger than males. The male is light gray above, with a light gray collar; breast and lower abdomen are whitish, and banded in gray to reddish brown. The female has a brown underside, a brownish-gray head, and collar, chest and bottom have a narrow brownish banding. The juveniles are black at the top and whitish at the bottom and rear. Both sexes are characterized by a large yellow beak and yellow-green eyes. The gray tail shows three black bands and a bright tail tip.
==Range and habitat==
The Cuban kite inhabits gallery forests of the mountainous regions of the Alexander von Humboldt National Park, Holguín and Guantánamo provinces, in eastern Cuba. It feeds primarily on tree snails of the genus ''Polymita'' as well as other types of snails.
==Threats==
The species is classified as "critically endangered" by the ICUN, due to heavy persecution based on a mistaken belief it hunts poultry, as well as heavy deforestation for logging and transformation of forest to farmland<ref>https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22728485/94988100#threats</ref>. Sightings of the bird are very rare, with three sightings during the 30 years prior to 1992<ref>http://globalraptors.org/grin/SpeciesExtended.asp?specID=8029&catID=2007</ref>, and after a last reliable sighting in 2001, the Cuban ornithologist Nils Pacheco succeeded in photographing one in 2009<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20121019060111/http://aba.org/birding/v42n1p22.pdf</ref>. Since 2006, employees of the Centro Oriental Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas, Santiago de Cuba and the Zoological Society for Species and Population Protection have made it a priority determine exact population numbers<ref>https://www.hawksaloft.com/cuba.html</ref>.
==References==
<small><references/></small>
[[Category:Birds of Prey]][[Category:Honey Buzzards]]
[[Category:Birds of Prey]][[Category:Honey Buzzards]]