SWALLOW-TAILED KITE GALLERY
(Elanoides forficatus)

eBird offers this description of the Swallow-tailed Kite:  A graceful, uniquely shaped raptor with long, narrow wings and deeply forked tail. Black-and-white with shining blue-gray upperwing. Usually seen in flight as it soars and glides while twisting its tail. Wingbeats are deep, fluid flaps. Found over a variety of wooded habitats with a preference for wetter habitats around rivers and ponds. Feeds mainly on insects captured on the wing.

I experienced my first Swallow-tailed Kite at a location near Sim’s Bayou in Houston, Texas on May 22, 2020.  I hope you enjoy my photos of this beautiful raptor!

Swallow-tailed Kite, May 22, 2020, Sim's Bayou, Houston, Texas.
Swallow-tailed Kite, up close and personal. May 22, 2020.
One more shot of the Swallow-tailed Kite. I have to tell the truth...these photos were taken at the Houston Adubon Raptor Education Center, not in the wild!

A little more info about the Swallow-tailed Kite From All About Birds…

The lilting Swallow-tailed Kite has been called “the coolest bird on the planet.” With its deeply forked tail and bold black-and-white plumage, it is unmistakable in the summer skies above swamps of the Southeast. Flying with barely a wingbeat and maneuvering with twists of its incredible tail, it chases dragonflies or plucks frogs, lizards, snakes, and nestling birds from tree branches. After rearing its young in a treetop nest, the kite migrates to wintering grounds in South America.