by DJ Featherton

Yep, it’s springtime and there’s some chatter among the birding communities that the well-loved Swallow-tailed Kites have started to be seen in southern and central Florida, right on time as they make their migration from South America. This is a spectacular bird that draws attention from anyone who sees it in the sky. The Swallow-tailed Kite has been noted as “the coolest bird on the planet.”

Unfortunately, the Swallow-tailed Kite has a limited range. It is worth traveling to see. In the warmer months they cover all of Florida, a small area of South Carolina, and a few spots by the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi, and New Orleans. Parts of Mexico has breeding areas as well. Comes early fall, everyone heads back to South America. Interestingly, these great birds used to go much further north, even up the Mississippi to Minnesota. This is no longer the case with the loss of habitat over the years.  

These birds are large raptors with a graceful glide just over the treetops. They have slender bodies and narrow pointed wings. Most unique is their very long and deeply forked tail. They feed on flying insects of all kinds, and small creatures living in the trees. Bird nests and snakes are not safe. Their slow and circular glide is punctuated with sudden quick turns and acrobatic maneuvers to catch their meal while in flight. This is fun to see!

Swallow-tailed Kites are a dazzling black and white. When perched, the white head contrasts with its black back. In flight and seen from below, their 48-inch wingspan is white and trimmed with black flight feathers. Their long and obvious deep forked swallow tail is black and stands out from the bird’s white under parts. The Swallow-tail’s impressive beauty make this bird easy to identify and to forget.

Makes me think of our group that meets at the pool in our Florida neighborhood. I’ve always said that birding becomes infectious to many. One day a pair of Swallow-tails came swooping over and my wife and I got excited and pointed them out. The entire group was immediately interested and said they have never seen birds like that. We live in a wooded and bird rich area. Now the group at the pool know the local red-shouldered hawk, the osprey, bald eagle, n. mockingbird, belted kingfisher, a few herons, and most of all, the Swallow-tailed Kite. None are real birders, yet! But they love to ask about any interesting bird that recently caught their attention.

I have many favorite birds, but I’ve got to top my list with the Swallow-tailed Kite. If you’re visiting Florida, watch for these flashy birds flying over the road at treetop level. Impressive!  I’ll see ya out there!