Bird Gallery Index
Swallow-tailed Kite image © David McDonald
Family: (Accipitridae) Hawks and Allies
Preferred Habitat: Wetlands and associated bottomlands.
Seasonal Occurrence: Uncommon spring through fall. Most common in the fall. Breeds in our area.
Notes: The Swallow-tailed Kite is one of our striking hawks and certainly the easiest to recognize. No other hawk has its deeply forked tail and white and black coloring. It also has a very distinctive flight pattern; rarely flapping its wings, it almost continuously rotates its tail and can hover almost motionless in the air. Swallow-tailed Kites eat predominantly flying insects. Sexes look alike. Nests are most commonly found near large rivers. The lower Trinity river watershed is one of the best locations to look for them in our region. In 2008 there were many sightings in the Kleb Woods Nature Preserve area including a juvenile bird - Fred Collins suspected a nest in the Spring Creek area. Swallow-tailed Kites migrate to South America for the winter; the Smith Point Hawk Watch is an excellent spot to watch for migrating Swallow-tailed Kites.
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