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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol 123. No. 2. June 2011 
by Teixeira et al. (1987a, b) suggested this taxon 
differs from L. cayanensis, influencing most of 
the subsequent literature to treat L. forbesi as a 
valid species (Forrester 1993. Thiollay 1994. 
Stotz el al. 1996, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 
2001). More recently. Roda and Curios (2003) 
found only the Grey-headed Kite in six locations 
in the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco, but the 
authors did not present the diagnosis for this 
taxon. Vocalizations typical of the Grey-headed 
Kite were also recorded in Alagoas (Silvcira et al. 
2003), while White-collared Kites were found in 
southern Pernambuco (Pereira et al. 2006). 
1 he three subspecies of L. cayanensis were 
based on color differences. Swann (1922) sug¬ 
gests that L. c. cayanensis Latham, 1790 in 
northern South America (and the Amazon Basin) 
diflers from L c. monachus Vicillot, 1817 for 
central and southeastern South America in the 
following characters: darker black dorsum: dark 
gray head and nape; upper tail coverts without 
visible bands, but with some small white spots; 
black underwing coverts (black and white in L. c. 
monachus), but with white wing borders (Swann 
1922). He further described a third subspecies L. 
c. mexicanus for Mexico south to Panama! 
diagnosed by the grayish nape and head; grayish 
black dorsum: black underwing coverts; upper tail 
coverts with a whitish-gray band, and grayish 
black spotted legs. 
Hellmayr and Conover (1949) invalidated the 
subspecies L c. monachus and L c. mexicanus 
because they found no color differences / t - 
mexicanus has since been disregarded in most of the 
subsequent literature. They indicated that L 
cayanensis from Argentina. Brazil, and Bolivia 
tend to be larger than those in the rest of the name, 
but offer no analysis to support these conclusions 
They also affirm that if the southern form is 
considered a subspecies, it should beL. r . monachus 
Vieillot, 1817. This treatment is followed bv 
Thiollay (1994) who lists /.. c. cayanensis in the 
north and L c. monachus in the south. 
The status of the White-collared Kile is 
classified as ‘Data Deficient’ in the 2003 list of 
Brazilian animals threatened with extinction as 
the paucity of museum specimens of L. forbesi has 
severely hindered the study of its variability. This 
taxon, if valid, would be critically endangered 
upon us naming, and it would be among the five 
iqS rap ' 0rs of thc world ("Thiollay 
sassEr*- 1 2oo °' Fcrgus ° n - Lees 
We examined differences in morphology be¬ 
tween White-collared and Grey-headed kites.and 
strongly suggest the White-collared Kile is a valid 
species. We also present arguments in favor of 
considering the Grey-headed Kite monotypic. 
METHODS 
We examined 128 specimens within the genus 
Leptodon (Appendix) from the ornithological 
collections of the Museu de Zoologia da Ini- 
versidade de Sao Paulo iMZLSP), Museu Nacio- 
nal do Rio de Janeiro (MN). Natural History 
Museum at Tring. United Kingdom (NHM). 
Museum fur Naturkunde of the Humbold-Umver- 
sity in Berlin (ZMB), Coleccion Omitologica 
Phelps (COP), Institute de Ciencias Samrab 
(ICN), and Museo de la Estacion Biological 
Rancho Grande (MF.BRG). We were unable to 
obtain permission to examine the Lepiodon 
specimens reported in Teixeira et al. (1987a. b) 
and they are not included. Additionally. LFS and 
SS inspected the ornithological collections of the 
American Museum of Natural History. Natural 
History Museum Vienna, and National Museum 
of Natural History (Leiden) in search of speci¬ 
mens pertinent to the taxonomic analysis l L 
forbesi- like specimens or from northeastern Bra¬ 
zil). which were not found; thus, the collections 
are not listed in this paper. The a priori naming of 
specimens w'ithin the genus Leptodon was based 
on (he suggested ranges of the taxa. 
We surveyed raptors in forest fragments m the 
states of Alagoas (AL) and Pernambuco (PEi * n 
October 2007 and February' and November 200S. 
We gathered additional information on morphol- 
ogy. behavior, and abundance of Leptod<' n 
(Seipke et al. 2011). Photographs taken in W 
field were used to supplement the few mu^e.im 
specimens. Vocalizations were opportunist 1 ' 
recorded using a video camera, and used tor 
simple comparison with known recordings 
Grey-headed Kites. The areas surveyed were 
Murici, AL: Usina Serra Grande. Sao Jos*-’ lJ 
Laje, AL; Mata do Coimbra. Ibateguara. M 
Fazenda Varrela. Sao Miguel dos Campos Al- 
Usina Trapiche, Sirinhaem, PE: and b ' 
Cachoeira Linda, Barreiros, PE. Detailed descrip¬ 
tions of survey methodology and locality 
surveyed are in Seipke et al. (201 D- 
We analyzed plumaee color bv compat'"- 
e of the 
museum and field specimens with those 
diagnostic characters for each taxon in questio' 1 
There are few museum specimens of 
