(→External Links: Added references section.) |
(→Behaviour: Added sections on breeding, diet, voice.and movements.) |
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==Behaviour== | ==Behaviour== | ||
| − | Does not hover. | + | ====Breeding==== |
| + | Nest is a flimsy, shallow cup of twigs lined with Spanish moss placed high (>30 m) in the crown of a tall tree. Several pairs may nest in close proximity. Clutch size is 2 or 3 white eggs with bold brown markings. Both parents incubate eggs and feed young. | ||
| + | ====Diet==== | ||
| + | Insects (termite and ant swarms), lizards, snakes, tree frogs, bird eggs and nestlings, and occasionally fruit. Constantly soars, capturing insect prey and feeding on the wing, or snatching prey from treetops, which it often consumes in flight. Does not hover. | ||
| + | ====Vocalisations==== | ||
| + | Usually silent. Most vocal during display flights around nest. Calls consist of variations on a single short rising and falling note. Female's calls average higher pitched than male's. | ||
| + | ====Movements==== | ||
| + | Migratory in the north and south of range. Also local movements, including attitudinal shifts during the non-breeding season in Central and South America. | ||
| + | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
#{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#Meyer, K. D. (1995). Swallow-tailed Kite (''Elanoides forficatus''), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.138 | #{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#Meyer, K. D. (1995). Swallow-tailed Kite (''Elanoides forficatus''), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.138 | ||
Revision as of 22:47, 3 January 2019
- Swallow-tailed Kite redirects here. For the species Chelictinia riocourii, see Scissor-tailed Kite.
- Elanoides forficatus
Identification
The most similar profile is a bird from a different order, the Magnificent Frigatebird which is mostly black with at the most, white extending from the head to the throat.
Distribution
North, Central and South America. In North America breeds in mainly coastal areas from South Carolina south to Florida and along the Gulf Coast into eastern Mexico. More common and widespread in Central America south to Panama and in South America from Colombia and Venezuela (rare in Trinidad) south to northern Argentina. Formerly more widespread in North America breeding as far north as Minnesota.
Northern birds are summer visitors and migrate in large flocks to winter in South America. Occasionally wanders north to the Great Lakes and New England.
The only accepted record for the Western Palearctic is of a bird in the Canary Islands in 1993 although there are other more doubtful records from elsewhere including Britain.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies recognized: nominate race in the USA and northern Mexico and yetapa from southern Mexico to Argentina.
Habitat
Open woodland and forest often near rivers and lakes. In the USA often occurs in cypress swamps and open pinewoods. On the U.S. Gulf Coast best place to observe swallow-tailed kites is in the air above wooded riparian corridors. One such place is Liberty-Dayton, Texas.
Behaviour
Breeding
Nest is a flimsy, shallow cup of twigs lined with Spanish moss placed high (>30 m) in the crown of a tall tree. Several pairs may nest in close proximity. Clutch size is 2 or 3 white eggs with bold brown markings. Both parents incubate eggs and feed young.
Diet
Insects (termite and ant swarms), lizards, snakes, tree frogs, bird eggs and nestlings, and occasionally fruit. Constantly soars, capturing insect prey and feeding on the wing, or snatching prey from treetops, which it often consumes in flight. Does not hover.
Vocalisations
Usually silent. Most vocal during display flights around nest. Calls consist of variations on a single short rising and falling note. Female's calls average higher pitched than male's.
Movements
Migratory in the north and south of range. Also local movements, including attitudinal shifts during the non-breeding season in Central and South America.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Meyer, K. D. (1995). Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.138
- Bierregaard, R.O., Jr & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52963 on 3 January 2019).
- Global Raptor Information Network. 2019. Species account: Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus. Downloaded from http://www.globalraptors.org on 3 Jan. 2019
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Swallow-tailed Kite. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Swallow-tailed_Kite
External Links
