Discover Life - Accipitridae: Elanoides forficatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Identification Tips:

Length: 21 inches Wingspan: 50 inches

Sexes similar

Medium-sized, graceful, long-winged, long-tailed hawk

Pointed wings

Short, dark, hooked bill

Adult:

Long, deeply forked tail

White head, neck, chest, underwing coverts, belly, and undertail coverts

Slate gray back and upperwings

Black tail and flight feathers

Immature:

Duller than adult with fine streaks on head and breast

Shorter, less deeply-forked tail than adult

Similar species:

Bold black and white plumage make it unmistakeable.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.

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Adult

MEASUREMENTS: The Swallow-tailed Kite has a body length of 19 - 26 inches, a 4-foot wingspan, and weighs 13 - 17 ounces.

HABITAT: These kites live in tropical and subtropical forests with swamps, marshes, and other wet areas. Swallow-tailed Kites are found in the southeast United States and southward through Central America and tropical South America.

DIET: The Swallow-tailed Kite usually eats insects, but will also take small birds and nestlings, reptiles, and amphibians. Their prey may be gleaned from the tree tops as the bird flies slowly over the canopy. Insects may be taken in midair and eaten while the kite is flying.

REPRODUCTION: Swallow-tailed Kites build twig nests at the top of tall trees. Many pairs may nest close together. Both males and females share all the duties of rearing the young. The female lays 1 - 3 eggs that are incubated for 28 - 31 days. The young kites fledge from 5 1/2 - 7 weeks after hatching.

NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from a Latin-Greek hybridization of the words elanus , meaning a kite; eidos , meaning to resemble or be similar to; and forfex , for scissors, which refers to the forked tail. The common name refers to the similarity to the forked-tails of some swallows. This kite has also been known as a Fork-tailed Kite, Swallow-tailed Hawk, and Scissor-tailed Kite.

INTERESTING FACTS:

Swallow-tailed Kites formerly occurred from Oklahoma, Texas, and Minnesota, to Florida. Their range in the United States decreased probably from persecution, changes in land use, and cutting of large river-bottom trees.
Swallow-tailed Kites are among the most adept and acrobatic fliers of all raptors.
In some areas of this kite’s range, 2 eggs are laid, but the first chick to hatch will usually kill the younger chick. This is referred to as obligate siblicide.

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© Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2010 Elanoides forficatus, Swallow-tailed Kite	© Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2010 Elanoides forficatus

© Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2010 Elanoides forficatus

Elanoides forficatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Swallow-tailed kite Elanoides forficatus

Identification Tips:

Adult:

Immature:

Similar species: