Kite (bird)

Kite (bird), common name for about 21 diverse species of birds of prey, not all closely related. Kites are found in warmer portions of all continents and many tropical islands. Their legs and feet are smaller and weaker than those of most other hawks, and consequently their diet, which varies among different species, is made up of very small animals or of carrion. All kites nest in trees, except the snail, or everglade, kite, of warm lowlands from Florida to South America. This species places its nest in dense marsh grass or on bushes growing in the water. About 43 to 48 cm (about 17 to 19 in) long, it is famous for its diet, which consists almost entirely of snails. Males are black, females streaked brown and buff; both sexes have a white rump.

The most beautiful species is the swallow-tailed kite. It is about 60 cm (about 24 in) long; half of its length is attributable to the long, deeply forked tail. Its head and underparts are white, and its back, wings, and tail are black with a slight gloss. In the United States it is now confined to the southeastern states, but it was formerly found as far north as Minnesota. It breeds south to southern Brazil, and both the northernmost and southernmost populations are strongly migratory. Another primarily tropical kite that reaches the United States, mostly in the west, is the black-shouldered, or white-tailed, kite, a whitish species with black shoulders, 38 to 43 cm (15 to 17 in) long. It inhabits open country in both the Americas and Eurasia, and is often seen hovering in the air while scanning the ground for insects. Also seen in open country, the Mississippi kite, a 35-cm (14-in) bird, is most abundant in the southern Midwest, but is expanding its range both eastward and westward. It is dark gray above, with a pale gray head and underparts and a black tail.

The best-known Eurasian species are the red kite (61 cm/24 in) and the black kite (56 cm/22 in). Both have forked tails, the fork in the red kite being deeper. The birds are noted for their scavenging habits. A common bird in London in Shakespeare's day, the red kite in Britain is now confined to Wales; both kites are fairly common in continental Europe, and the black kite extends as far as South Africa and Australia.

Scientific classification: Kites belong to the family Accipitridae of the order Falconiformes. The snail, or everglade, kite is classified as Rostrhamus sociabilis; the swallow-tailed kite as Elanoides forficatus; the white-tailed kite as Elanus leucurus, the black-shouldered kite as Elanus axillaris; and the Mississippi kite as Ictinia mississippiensis. The red kite is classified as Milvus milvus and the black kite as Milvus migrans.