Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)

Alton, Illinois. Sept 7th, 2019

comments (7)

Thibaud Aronson

Lion

A bit of excitement this week, as this beautiful kite has been hanging out just on the other side of the river, hanging out with his local cousins, the smaller Mississippi kites. In the US, this is a bird normally only found in Florida and the adjacent southeastern states, a thousand kilometers away! But it looks like a number of birds have been roaming far and wide this summer.
I was out of state all week, getting daily reports from all the birders in the area flocking to see it. I had my fingers crossed, hoping it would stick around... After I got back Friday night, I headed out Saturday morning. I got to the place, a large field surrounded by industrial suburbia (what a weird spot, considering there are a number of beautiful protected wetlands 5 km to the south...).
And yet, within 5 minutes, I was looking at him, impossibly graceful, hardly ever flapping his wings, terror on wings for the local dragonflies!
All in all, a great morning :) Posted 5 years ago

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Nice, it really does look like a (giant) swallow! Posted 5 years ago
1. Thibaud Aronson
  
  Lion
  
  Right?! And I've acquired a new goal: to see all 9 bird species that are swallow-tailed something or other (from a bee-eater to a cotinga) :) Posted 5 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    What is your bird total in life, Thibaud? Posted 5 years ago
  2. 1. Thibaud Aronson
      
      Lion
      
      Just about 3000. It's actually kind of embarrassing that I don't have the exact count. I'm at 2994 on ebird, but there are birds from a few old trips (a couple from Mada, Morocco, Chile) that I have yet to put on there. I want to get to it before the end of the year, so that I can close 2019 with 3000 birds :) Posted 5 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        Holy crap, that's a huge number, it's almost as much as all birds documented on JD! Posted 5 years ago, modified 5 years ago
      2. Thibaud Aronson
        
        Lion
        
        Haha well you know I've been travelling a lot. I've been lucky to go to places with lots of birds ;)
        Posted 5 years ago

The Swallow-tailed Kite

The Swallow-tailed Kite is an elanid kite which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. Most North and Central American breeders winter in South America where the species is resident year round. It was formerly named "Falco forficatus".

Info 11 0

Similar species: Diurnal Birds Of Prey

Species identified by Thibaud Aronson

By Thibaud Aronson

Uploaded Sep 8, 2019. Captured Sep 7, 2019 09:33 in 101 E 3rd St, Alton, IL 62002, USA.

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Canon EOS 7D Mark II
f/8.0
1/1579s
ISO500
504mm

Captured in the summer. More summer photos.