The Swallow-tailed Kite is a striking raptor known for its effortless, buoyant flight and distinctive appearance. It is easily recognized by its contrasting black and white plumage and its long, deeply forked tail, which it uses with precision in the air. The kite’s breeding range extends across the southeastern United States, from South Carolina to Texas, and it migrates annually to wintering grounds throughout Central and South America. This raptor’s highly specialized diet reflects its life spent almost entirely on the wing along the forest canopy.
The Core Diet Flying Insects
The majority of the Swallow-tailed Kite’s diet consists of invertebrates, particularly flying insects that it captures in mid-air. These small prey items often make up 90% or more of the food an adult kite consumes during its active summer months. The kite targets large, slow-moving aerial insects that are relatively easy to catch while soaring or gliding.
Common prey includes large species like dragonflies and cicadas, which are plentiful in the kite’s wetland and riparian habitats. They also frequently consume wasps, bees, grasshoppers, and beetles, often targeting swarms to maximize their foraging efficiency. The kite’s stomach is thicker and spongier than most raptors, allowing it to safely consume stinging insects like wasps and fire ants.
Other invertebrate prey includes moths and caterpillars, which the kite snatches from the tops of trees and other vegetation while in flight. In some areas, these birds carry whole wasp nests back to their own nest, consuming the larvae.
Supplemental Prey Lizards, Frogs, and Nestlings
While insects form the bulk of the adult kite’s food, small vertebrates and non-insect items provide supplemental nutrition, especially when feeding young. Small reptiles are frequently consumed, including slender snakes and various species of lizards, such as anoles. In southern Florida, the hatchlings of the introduced green iguana have also been noted as prey.
The kite also captures small amphibians, primarily tree frogs, which they snatch from branches or vegetation. These larger prey items are typically taken by making a quick, targeted pass or a momentary hover over the treetops. Other food sources include the eggs and nestlings of smaller birds, plucked directly from nests in the canopy.
The Swallow-tailed Kite has been observed consuming fruit in its tropical wintering range, a highly unusual habit for a bird of prey. This diverse diet ensures the young receive the necessary protein and fats for rapid development.
Mid-Flight Hunting Techniques
The Swallow-tailed Kite’s exceptional flight skills are directly tied to its method of acquiring food, as it rarely perches during the day for hunting or eating. The bird is a master of aerial maneuverability, using its deeply forked tail as a rudder to make sharp turns and adjustments while gliding. It can continually flick and rotate its tail, instantly switching from a straight course to a tight circle to capture prey.
The kite uses its talons to grasp prey directly from the air or by gleaning it from the surface of leaves and branches while in continuous flight. It does this without breaking its forward motion, showcasing high precision and control. Once captured, the kite transfers the food from its feet to its beak and consumes the item while still airborne.
The specialized flight extends beyond feeding, as the kite also quenches its thirst without landing. It drinks water by gracefully skimming the surface of a pond or river, dipping its bill momentarily to collect water. Occasionally, the kite may roll or dive backward to catch an insect, highlighting its mastery of aerial acrobatics while foraging.