The White Tailed Kite

One of the most fascinating birds in my opinion, is The White Tailed Kite.

I remember the first time I saw one. It was approximately 15 years ago as I was walking along a bluff trail in Cambria, CA. This bird had red, orange eyes. I thought to myself, how strange … yet so cool.
It hunted for a small rodent in the grasses near me. After it grabbed one rodent, it put the first one in it’s beak and hunted for another one. That was it, I was hooked.
As the Kite hunted, it was using the air currents to hover in one place. I have read that Kites can see ultraviolet light and can track urine trails from their prey, such as small rodents.
In any case, from that day forward, it became one of my favorite birds to observe and photograph.

Every White Tailed Kite pair may have different behaviors while nesting. In some instances, the male will bring food for the female to a nearby branch, close to the nest and wait for her. The female usually leaves the nest for a brief moment and then takes the meal near the nest to eat it. Other times, the male will fly towards the nest with food. Then the female flies over to the male and grabs the meal, all while both are in mid air. This is an in flight mid air food exchange. It is pretty dramatic to witness and if you’re fast enough, you may be able to capture the event in a photograph.

The mid air food exchange also occurs when feeding the young juvenile Kites.

The sky can be quite the flurry of activity when all of the juveniles are wanting to be fed.

Usually it is the male that brings in the food.

After a few weeks, the Male will stop feeding the young.

They are on their own and are discouraged from staying in the nesting area.

In this series of photographs below, we see an adult male White Tailed Kite bringing in a Vole for a meal. The behavior I observed, was that he tucked the Vole deep, trying to avoid the previous nesting brood of young Kites as they chased after him to get fed. He had no part of it and only gave the Vole to the Female as seen in the last image of this sequence. It shows the in flight mid air food exchange between the Adult Male and Female. This image sequence was taken near San Jose, CA in June 2023.

Anytime that I know where they are nesting, I sit low and out of the way, quietly waiting for some action. I am never disappointed.

It is important to know that nesting sites can be very sensitive. Kites have been known to abandon a nest if there is too much activity near it.
I keep nest locations quiet and usually post images after the young have fledged to minimize any disturbances from large crowds. The priority goes to the proper ethics and safety of the nest so there is an undisturbed & successful family brood.

Here are some facts about White Tailed Kites:

• The White Tailed Kite is a Raptor, a small Hawk, pale in color with black shoulder patches on it’s wings, and a narrow long white tail.

• Species in This Family are Hawks, Eagles, and Kites (Order: Accipitriformes, Family: Accipitridae)

• It is found in grasslands, open woodlands, savannas, marshes, and cultivated fields.

• It hovers above open areas while hunting small mammals. Rapidly beats its wings while facing into the wind, with tail and head angled down.

• During the nonbreeding season, the White-tailed Kite roosts communally. Sometimes more than 100 individuals pile into a few trees or tall shrubs at the edge of a grassland or savanna. I have seen this a few times over the years. It is an awesome sight to see.

• Both Sexes look similar and measure: Length: 12.6-15.0 in (32-38 cm); Weight: 10.6-12.7 oz (300-360 g): Wingspan: 39.0-43.3 in (99-110 cm).

• They range in Western and Southern North America, Northwest Africa, Arabia… South of the Sahara Desert, parts of Mexico, in Chile and Argentina, South America.

• Similar Species: Mississippi Kite, Swallowed Tailed Kite, White Tailed Hawk.

Credit:
Some information used in this article is from this website: All About Birds Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Kite/id#:~:text=Small%20hawk%20with%20narrow%2C%20pointed%20wings%20and%20long%20tail.

I hope that you too will have the chance to see White Tailed Kites in action. By observing them quietly, you will be amazed at their graceful behavior and tenacious hunting skills.

I am including a few more images of White Tailed Kites in action. Enjoy.