The Pearl Kite is found in semi-arid or deciduous woodland and savannah in South America from the Colombia east through Guyana and south in Paraguay and northern Argentina, west to eastern Bolivia and Peru. An isolated population exists in western Ecuador and north-western Peru and another in western Nicaragua. Around the head is a narrow white collar bordered behind with reddish brown. The wings and tail are like the crown, with a slight purplish or chocolate cast on the shoulders. Secondaries are strongly edged and tipped with white.
Primaries are white on the inner webs.
There are a few black feathers on the sides of the chest and the thighs are rusty brown with a small rufous area. The eyes are chestnut or rich red, the bill black, and the feet yellow. The falcon-like proportions and sharp claws of this little raptor indicate a departure from the usual feeding habits of kites, and its main food supply seems to cinsist of small birds. It is also known to eat lizards and large insects. Also, at the nest, a low ' kee-kee '.