Black-shouldered Kite vs Coiban Mastuff Bat

Elanus caeruleus compared with Molossus coibensis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-shouldered Kite	Coiban Mastuff Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Molossidae
Genus	Elanus	Molossus
Species	Elanus caeruleus	Molossus coibensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-shouldered Kite and Coiban Mastuff Bat share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Black-shouldered Kite

LC — Least Concern

Coiban Mastuff Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-shouldered Kite	Coiban Mastuff Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-shouldered Kite

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Coiban Mastuff Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Black-shouldered Kite

The Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) is a species in the genus Elanus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Coiban Mastuff Bat

The Coiban Mastuff Bat (Molossus coibensis) is a small free-tailed bat in the family Molossidae, named for Coiba Island off the Pacific coast of Panama, where specimens were first collected. Members of the genus Molossus are robust, fast-flying insectivores adapted to open-air foraging above the forest canopy and over water, characterised by narrow wings and a tail that extends beyond the patagium (wing membrane). Molossus coibensis inhabits lowland tropical forests and adjacent open habitats in Central America and northwestern South America, with confirmed records from Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Panama, indicating a distributional range that extends well beyond its type locality on Coiba Island. Like other mastiff bats, it roosts in crevices within buildings, rock faces, and hollow trees, emerging at dusk to pursue aerial insects at speed. The species feeds primarily on large beetles, moths, and other night-flying insects, typically hunted high above the forest. It is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN based on its relatively wide range and tolerance of modified habitats. Molossus coibensis was long treated as a subspecies of Molossus molossus before being recognised as a distinct species based on morphological and molecular evidence. Ecological and life-history data specific to this taxon remain limited.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia