Glimpse of the Swallowtail Kite

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On Mother’s Day, a friend and I went for a walk at our local refuge, hoping that maybe we’d catch a glimpse of a SwallowtaiI Kite, as we’d heard they were around. Incredibly, two spectacular Kites suddenly appeared toward the end of our walk~!! One performed its magical aerial acrobatics right in front of us, at eye-level, for several moments, and then the two dazzled us for 5+ minutes more with their rolling and diving overhead! But…. I didn’t have my camera with me that day!!! 😩

These shots below, and my husband’s little iPhone video, are the only evidence we have of a later mid-May sighting of the beautiful Swallowtail Kite. . . . I hope we’ll be lucky enough to spot them again in the coming months before they migrate back to South America!

“Though adult Swallow-tailed Kites eat mostly flying insects, they feed their young with many types of small vertebrates – including tree frogs, lizards, nestling birds, and snakes. They snatch these animals from trees and other plants while in flight, and carry them in their feet.” Read and see much more at All About Birds, Swallowtail Kite.

 The only other time I posted about this spectacular bird was 5 years ago, when I was able to get several more shots: The Marvelous Swallowtail Kite.

The Swallow-Tailed Kite is the mascot and logo for our wonderful Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail! And Audubon.org calls it “Our most beautiful bird of prey . . . extraordinarily graceful flight.” Such an apt description!! The Swallowtail is simply captivating to watch!

20 thoughts on “Glimpse of the Swallowtail Kite”

  1. I know that frustrating feeling of not having the camera at the right time! But I enjoyed being able to see how it swoops around in the video – graceful indeed!

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  3. The Swallow-tailed Kite is a beautiful bird and an excellent flyer. It’s a great experience to see them flying. Nice post, Carol. 🙂

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  5. Thanks for sharing this amazing bird BJ, and for the interesting insights. Its antics remind me of my avatar bird the Red-tailed Tropicbird. It is so frustrating when you do not have your camera with you on a walk, I changed to always carry it or at least my movie camera on any walk that goes near bush or fields, having been stung myself missing great shots.

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  8. The experience of watching these magnificent raptors is quite special! It’s great to be able to get a photograph, but just seeing them in the sky makes my day.

    Thank you for sharing!

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  9. Wow what a beautiful kite. Sorry you didn’t have the camera with you when you needed it, but perhaps the absence of the camera made watching more intense and memorable? I enjoyed the video that you did include in your post.

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