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Kite (bird)
Encyclopedia
Kites are raptor
s with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion
but some take various amounts of live prey.
They are birds of prey
which, along with hawk
s and eagle
s, are from the family Accipitridae
.
A few of the Perninae
are also called kites.
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
s with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
but some take various amounts of live prey.
They are birds of prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
which, along with hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s and eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, are from the family Accipitridae
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
.
Species list
- Subfamily ElaninaeElanid kiteAn elanid kite, sometimes white-tailed kite, is any of several small, long-winged, hovering raptors. All are specialist rodent hunters and most are members of the genus Elanus. Some authorities list the group as a formal subfamily, Elaninae...
- Genus ElanusElanusBlack-winged Kites is a genus of bird of prey in the elanid kite subfamily. It consists of four species.* Black-winged Kite, Elanus caeruleus* Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris* White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus...
- Black-winged KiteBlack-winged KiteThe Black-winged Kite is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for its habit of hovering over open grasslands in the manner of the much-smaller kestrels...
, Elanus caeruleus - Black-shouldered KiteBlack-shouldered KiteThe Black-shouldered Kite or Australian Black-shouldered Kite is a small raptor found in open habitat throughout Australia and resembles similar species found in Eurasia and North America, which have in the past also been named as Black-shouldered Kites...
, Elanus axillaris - White-tailed KiteWhite-tailed KiteThe White-tailed Kite is an elanid kite of genus Elanus found in western North America and parts of South America.Their coloration is gull-like, but their shape and flight falcon-like, with a rounded tail...
, Elanus leucurus - Letter-winged KiteLetter-winged KiteThe Letter-winged Kite is a small, rare and irruptive Australian raptor with a core range in central Australia. The adult is a small and graceful, predominantly pale grey and white, raptor with black shoulders and red eyes...
, Elanus scriptus
- Black-winged Kite
- Genus Chelictinia
- Scissor-tailed Kite, Chelictinia riocourii
- Genus Machaerhamphus
- Bat HawkBat HawkThe Bat Hawk is a raptor found in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia to New Guinea. It is named for its diet, which consists mainly of bats. It requires open space in which to hunt, but will live anywhere from dense rainforest to semi-arid veld.-Description:The Bat Hawk is a slender, medium-sized...
, Machaerhamphus alcinus
- Bat Hawk
- Genus Gampsonyx
- Pearl KitePearl KiteThe Pearl Kite is a very small raptor found in open savanna habitat adjacent to deciduous woodland. It is the only member of the genus Gampsonyx...
, Gampsonyx swainsonii
- Pearl Kite
- Genus Elanoides
- Swallow-tailed KiteSwallow-tailed KiteThe Swallow-tailed Kite is an elanid kite which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. Most North and Central American breeders winter in South America where the species is resident year round...
, Elanoides forficatus
- Swallow-tailed Kite
- Genus Elanus
- Subfamily Milvinae
- Genus HarpagusHarpagus (bird)Harpagus is a genus of birds of prey in the Accipitridae family. It comprises:*Double-toothed Kite, Harpagus bidentatus*Rufous-thighed Kite, Harpagus diodonBoth live in tropical American forests...
- Double-toothed KiteDouble-toothed KiteThe Double-toothed Kite is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.This fairly...
, Harpagus bidentatus - Rufous-thighed KiteRufous-thighed KiteThe Rufous-thighed Kite is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, and Suriname....
, Harpagus diodon
- Double-toothed Kite
- Genus IctiniaIctiniaIctinia is a genus of birds in the Accipitridae family. It contains two species:* Mississippi Kite * Plumbeous Kite Both of these species are native to the Americas.-References:*...
- Mississippi KiteMississippi KiteThe Mississippi Kite is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is 12 to 15 inches beak to tail and has a wingspan averaging 3 feet . Weight is from 214 to 388 grams . Adults are gray with darker gray on their tail feathers and outer wings and lighter gray on their heads...
, Ictinia mississippiensis - Plumbeous KitePlumbeous KiteThe Plumbeous Kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures....
, Ictinia plumbea
- Mississippi Kite
- Genus Rostrhamus
- Snail KiteSnail KiteThe Snail Kite is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Its relative, the Slender-billed Kite, is now again placed in Helicolestes, making the genus Rostrhamus monotypic...
, Rostrhamus sociabilis
- Snail Kite
- Genus Helicolestes
- Slender-billed KiteSlender-billed KiteThe Slender-billed Kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks and Old World vultures. It is found near water in forested parts of tropical northern and central South America, and far eastern Panama...
, Helicolestes hamatus - formerly in Rostrhamus
- Slender-billed Kite
- Genus HaliasturHaliasturHaliastur is a genus of medium-sized diurnal birds of prey. It consists of two species of kite which form part of the subfamily Milvinae; some authorities place these species in the genus Milvus, despite clear differences in behaviour, voice and plumage....
- Whistling KiteWhistling KiteThe Whistling Kite is a medium-sized diurnal raptor found throughout Australia , New Caledonia and much of New Guinea . Also called the Whistling Eagle or Whistling Hawk, it is named for its loud whistling call, which it often gives in flight...
, Haliastur sphenurus - Brahminy KiteBrahminy KiteThe Brahminy Kite , also known as the Red-backed Sea-eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. They are found in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia...
, Haliastur indus
- Whistling Kite
- Genus MilvusMilvusMilvus is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey. It is an Old World group consisting of three kites which form part of the subfamily Milvinae...
- Red KiteRed KiteThe Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
, Milvus milvus- Cape Verde Kite, Milvus (milvus) fasciicauda - extinct (2000)
- Black KiteBlack KiteThe Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their...
, Milvus migrans - Black-eared Kite, Milvus (migrans) lineatus
- Yellow-billed KiteYellow-billed KiteThe Yellow-billed Kite is the Afrotropic counterpart of the Black Kite , of which it is most often considered a subspecies. However, recent DNA studies suggest that the Yellow-billed Kite differs significantly from Black Kites in the Eurasian clade, and should be considered as a separate,...
, Milvus (migrans) aegyptius
- Red Kite
- Genus Lophoictinia
- Square-tailed KiteSquare-tailed KiteThe Square-tailed Kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers.-Conservation status:...
, Lophoictinia isura
- Square-tailed Kite
- Genus Hamirostra
- Black-breasted BuzzardBlack-breasted BuzzardThe Black-breasted Buzzard , or Black-breasted Kite, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae and the monotypic genus Hamirostra...
, Hamirostra melanosternon
- Black-breasted Buzzard
- Genus Harpagus
A few of the Perninae
Perninae
The raptor subfamily Perninae includes a number of medium-sized broad-winged species. These are birds of warmer climates, although the Pernis species have a more extensive range....
are also called kites.
- Grey-headed Kite, Leptodon cayanensis
- White-collared KiteWhite-collared KiteThe White-collared Kite, Leptodon forbesi, is a South American raptor. It breeds in north eastern Brazil.The White-collared Kite is 50 cm in length. The adult has a grey head with white hindneck, black upperparts, white underparts, and a grey tail with a very broad, black subterminal band and...
, Leptodon forbesi - Hook-billed KiteHook-billed KiteThe Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles, and harriers...
, Chondrohierax uncinatus
External links
- Weekly Radio Segments from With the Wild Things: Kites
- Kite videos on the Internet Bird Collection