Bird · GBIF taxon 2480461
Elanoides forficatus
elanoides forficatusAlso known as American Swallow-Tailed Kite, Forked-Tailed Hawk
Swallow-tailed kites perform extraordinary aerial acrobatics, catching insects, tree frogs, and lizards mid-flight without ever alighting. They capture prey directly from forest canopies and drink by skimming across water surfaces in seamless fluid glides. Before embarking on their long migration to South America, hundreds gather in massive communal roosts near wetlands across Florida and the Gulf Coast.
MigratoryAerial AcrobatRaptor
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Dragonflies
- Tree Frogs
- Anole Lizards
Predators
- Great Horned Owl
- Red-tailed Hawk
ThreatsWetland drainage, forest fragmentation, and disturbance at roost sites
HabitatsSwamps, river bottomlands, pine flatwoods, and tropical forests
Life span6 to 12 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae
- GenusElanoides
- Specieselanoides forficatus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Striking white body with stark black flight feathers and a deeply split, scissor-like black tail.
- Support conservation
- Keep a respectful distance from nesting tall pine or cypress trees to avoid causing adults to abandon eggs or chicks.
Responsible observation
- Observation timing: Look for them during late spring and summer soaring over swamp edges and wet prairies.
- Roost etiquette: Maintain at least a 200-meter buffer from pre-migration communal roost trees in late summer.
Close Relative (c) Laura Clark, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Laura Clark · cc-by
Family Member Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Subfamily Kin
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