Birding at MOSI Outside: Swallow-Tailed Kites

Our morning search for butterflies and caterpillars was temporarily halted the other day by the sound of high-pitched calls and cries from the skies above us. Tilting our heads way, way back, we spotted several circling shapes in the sky. Within seconds, we could make out the distinctive shape of swallow-tailed kites, a raptor seen in the summer in wetland areas of the Southeastern U.S.

There's no mistaking the Swallow-tailed Kite for any other bird. The shape and markings are entirely distinctive. You'll almost always see them circling in the sky high above. We were pleased that the four circling us actually made several passes quite low to the ground (before we got our camera, of course), only about 20 feet in the air or so. These four birds were foraging for food, and if you look closely in the photo below below, you can see the bird is holding its feet to its mouth. We're guessing it had just snatched a lizard from the top of a nearby tree, one of their favorite foods.

Swallow-Tailed Kites almost always eat on the fly, catching insects and small reptiles. They drink in motion too, skimming the surface of the water as they fly. Though not often seen perching, two of the four we spotted were taking occasional breaks at the top of a tall pine nearby. Perhaps juveniles, resting after the heavy exertion of hunting for breakfast?

Swallow-Tailed Kites are seen during the summer in a limited range in the Southeast, including all of Florida. They reside in South America year-round, but when breeding season arrives, the spread out to the north to ensure everyone has enough food for their young. They nest in forested areas near water, and much of their range in the U.S. has been decimated by development (they were once found as far north as Oklahoma). If you spot Swallow-Tailed Kites, you can help track them by reporting your sighting to The Center For Birds of Prey - click here to learn more.

What's in a name? The scientific name Elanoides is a Latin-Greek hybrid meaning "resembling a kite", while forficatus means "scissors" - referring to the forked tail. As for the common name, a kite is a type of raptor with long wings and weak legs, which explains why you'll nearly always see them in flight rather than on the ground. The "swallow-tailed" portion of the name of course references the forked tails of birds like barn swallows.