K…is for
Kite – Swallow-tailed Kite that is!
This one
took me a minute – what creature in nature starts with the letter “K” that I
might have a recent picture of in my photo library? I’m thinking as I’m writing
this “kangaroo” possibly but no picture in the library. Then I remembered last
year we went to Forever Florida near Kissimmee; as we riding along one of the
trails a Swallow-tailed Kite flew overhead! Not the best photo but I managed to
capture it.
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.
Swallow-tailed Kites are
large but slender and buoyant raptors. They have long, narrow, pointed wings,
slim bodies, and a very long, deeply forked tail. The bill is small and sharply
hooked.
Swallow-tailed Kites are a
sharp contrast of bright-white head and underparts and gleaming black wings,
back, and tail. From below, the wing linings are white and the flight feathers
are black.
These birds are creatures of
the air, spending most of their day aloft and rarely flapping their wings. They
tend to circle fairly low over trees as they hunt for small animals in the
branches. At times they soar very high in the sky, almost at the limits of
vision. During migration they may form large flocks.
Look for Swallow-tailed
Kites over swamps, marshes, and large rivers of the southeastern U.S.,
particularly in Florida. At the end of summer, all the Swallow-tailed Kites in
the U.S. leave and migrate south to South America.
Thank you for stopping by my blog! Be blessed and be a blessing!!!
Content from allaboutbirds.org
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