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Manatee County

Audubon Society

Swallow-tailed Kite

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Name

Swallow-tailed Kite

Scientific Name

(Elanoides forficatus)

Why they are special:
  • One of Florida’s most elegant raptors, famous for its forked tail and graceful, acrobatic flight.

  • Seen in Manatee County during migration and breeding seasons, often over woodlands and wetlands.
Size and color:
  • A medium-large raptor, about 22–28 inches long with a wingspan of 50–60 inches.

  • Black body and wings with white underparts; long, deeply forked tail.

  • Slender, hooked bill and pale face.
Seasonality in Florida:
  • Spring and summer resident in parts of Florida; migratory south to Central and South America in fall.
Habitat:
  • Open forests, wetland edges, and river corridors.

  • Often seen soaring and gliding effortlessly over wetlands.
Diet:
  • Feed mainly on insects, frogs, lizards, and small birds, often captured in midair.
Behavior:
  • Highly aerial; rarely perches for long periods.

  • Acrobatic, twisting and turning while hunting insects.
Conservation notes:

  • Loss of large forested wetlands and open landscapes through development and deforestation threatens breeding and foraging habitat.

  • Once in steep decline, the U.S. population has rebounded somewhat but remains vulnerable due to its limited breeding range in the Southeast.

Best time to see:
  • Spring and early summer, especially over rivers, marshes, and open woodlands in Manatee County.
Fun Fact:
  • Swallow-tailed Kites are so graceful that birders often call them “angels of the marsh”!
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