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Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kites have returned!


The Swallow-tailed Kites have returned from migration here on Sanibel Island and elsewhere in Florida and we have seen them in numerous places.

These beautiful birds winter mainly in South America

and return to the Southeast U.S. to breed. Note the interesting pattern on the topside of the wing.

Swallow-tailed Kites catch insects in the air and may pluck lizards from trees. They nest in woodlands and forested wetlands and build nests in trees. What a show they can put on. Look for them and you may be lucky enough to see these beautiful birds.

5 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

They are beautiful birds and that clear blue sky certainly makes them stan rout even more.

Kevin said...

Beautiful shots of one of my favorite birds! Do you know if any Swallow-tailed Kites breed on Sanibel, or are they all migrating to points inland?

Gail said...

We saw one over the weekend in Ocala Florida.

Anonymous said...

Which camera setup did you use for these pics?:)

Anonymous said...

A swallow-tail kite was seen for the first time here on Bald Head Island a few weeks ago :)