HAWKS, EAGLES

White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus

Family Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles)

Size: 15"

Season: Year-round

Habitat: Open grasslands with trees or thickets, roadsides

The White-tailed Kite, also known as the Black-shouldered Kite, is an elegant kite with long, pointed wings, a long tail, and a small, hooked bill. It is gray above, with a large black shoulder patch and a white tail. The underside and head are white, with gray on the nape and black around the red eyes, giving an angry expression. Juveniles have brown streaking across the neck and on the crown. White-tailed Kites fly with a slight dihedral angle to the wings, and they have a black spot at the wrist on the underwing. They patrol grasslands in the air or from a perch, and hover before attacking their prey of rodents and reptiles. The adult is illustrated.