All Topics  
Swallow-tailed Kite

 
Swallow Tailed Kite

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Swallow-tailed Kite
 
 
  Topics Swallow-tailed Kite Topic Home

The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) is an elanid kite
Elanid kite

An elanid kite, sometimes white-tailed kite, is any of several small, long-winged, hovering Bird of preys. All are specialist rodent hunters and most are members of the genus Elanus....
 which breeds from the southeastern
Southeastern United States

The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs....
 United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 to eastern Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
 and northern Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
. Most North
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
n breeders winter
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 in South America where the species is resident
Resident bird

A resident bird, in ornithology, is a bird that does not make seasonal migrations. Birds that do migrate are referred to as migratory birds.For some bird species, a favorable environment, or food supply allows the birds to stay as a resident species, until some non-typical weather, or food supply event causes a semi-permanent change....
 year round. It was formerly named Falco forficatus.

Physical description
The species is 55 to 65 cm in length, with a wingspan of approximately 1.3 m. Male and female individuals appear similar.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Swallow-tailed Kite'
Start a new discussion about 'Swallow-tailed Kite'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) is an elanid kite
Elanid kite

An elanid kite, sometimes white-tailed kite, is any of several small, long-winged, hovering Bird of preys. All are specialist rodent hunters and most are members of the genus Elanus....
 which breeds from the southeastern
Southeastern United States

The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs....
 United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 to eastern Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
 and northern Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
. Most North
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
n breeders winter
Bird migration

Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather....
 in South America where the species is resident
Resident bird

A resident bird, in ornithology, is a bird that does not make seasonal migrations. Birds that do migrate are referred to as migratory birds.For some bird species, a favorable environment, or food supply allows the birds to stay as a resident species, until some non-typical weather, or food supply event causes a semi-permanent change....
 year round. It was formerly named Falco forficatus.

Physical description


The species is 55 to 65 cm in length, with a wingspan of approximately 1.3 m. Male and female individuals appear similar. The body is a contrasting deep black and white. The flight feathers, tail, feet, bill are all black. Another characteristic is the forked tail, hence the name swallow-tailed.

Young Swallow-tailed Kites are duller in color than the adults, and the tail is not as deeply forked.

Habitat and behavior


Swallow-tailed Kites inhabit mostly woodland
Woodland

Ecologically, a woodland is an area covered in trees, usually at low density, forming an open habitat, allowing sunlight to penetrate between the trees, and limiting shade....
 and forested wetland
Wetland

File:Mangrove trees in Everglades.JPGA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water....
s near nesting locations. Nest
Nest

A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's Egg s and/or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some life material such as twigs, grass, and leaf; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building....
s are built in trees, usually near water. Both male and female participate in building the nest.

Sometime a high-pitched chirp is emitted; though the birds mostly remain silent.

Feeding, drinking, mating

The Swallow-tailed Kite feeds on small reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s and insect
Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
s, and drinks by skimming the surface and collecting water in its bill.

Mating
Mating

In biology, mating is the pairing of same-sex, opposite-sex or hermaphrodite organisms for copulation and, in social animals, also to raise their offspring....
 occurs from March to May, with the female laying 2 to 4 eggs
Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
. Incubation lasts 28 days, and 36 to 42 days to fledge.

Conservation in the United States


Swallow-tailed Kites are not listed as endangered or threatened by the federal government in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. They are listed as endangered by the state of South Carolina and as threatened by the state of Texas. They are listed as "rare" by the state of Georgia. Destruction of habitats is chiefly responsible for the decline in numbers. A key conservation area is the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

The Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System. It is located in southeastern Dixie County, Florida and northwestern Levy County, Florida counties on the western coast of Florida, approximately fifty miles southwest of the city of Gainesville, Florida....
 in Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
.

External links

  • on the Internet Bird Collection
  • (for Grenadines
    Grenadines

    The Grenadines are a Caribbean island chain of over 6 islands in the Windward Islands. They are divided between the island nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada....
     of Guyana, Guyana
    Guyana

    Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is the only state of the Commonwealth of Nations on mainland South America....
    , Nicaragua
    Nicaragua

    Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
    ) with RangeMap–(vagrant in eastern USA, except southeast)
  • VIREO