Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)
Swallow-tailed Kite, Carajás, Pará, Brazil, February 2002 - click for larger image Brazil

The Swallow-tailed Kite must be one of the most elegant birds in South America and one of the most distinctive.

It is normally seen over forest in the tropics where it hunts for insects, small animals and small birds including hummingbirds.

Swallow-tailed Kite, Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Sept 2000 - click for larger image They migrate south in the southern summer often congregating in large flocks which are quite stunning to observe.

There are illustrations in HBW, Volume 2, Page 110; Hilty & Brown, Page 92 and Sick, Plate 7.
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