By Adam Wolf
To this day, I remember playing disc golf, looking up, and being stunned by the mesmerizing sight of a peculiar bird in flight. Without beating its wings, the hawk-sized bird with a crescent-shaped tail soared with elegance while diving towards the ground with ease. I didn’t know I was looking at a swallow-tailed kite, or Elanoides forficatus as it is scientifically known, but I did know I was witnessing something extraordinary. Its ability to roll in midair seemed to be its preferred method of showing off. I now know that this bird, along with its more common sibling, the Mississippi kite, can be seen in the Charleston area in early summer. The swallow-tailed kite is listed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as endangered. While they eat many common raptor prey such as snakes, nesting birds, and frogs, swallow-tailed kites particularly favor large flying insects. Due to its abnormally thick and spongy stomach, stinging insects such as wasps and fire ants aren’t immune to the kite.
In the past, these birds have been recorded nesting in sixteen states on the eastern half of the country. Unfortunately, only seven states currently hold nesting sites. South Carolina has an estimated 120 to 170 breeding pairs. Kites favor loblolly pines for nests but will use other tree species. With a keen eye, you may spot kites using Spanish moss to line the inside of their nests.
The Center for Birds of Prey hosts an online platform where birders can upload sightings of swallow-tailed kites in an effort to determine where they are feeding and nesting. One thing is for certain: keep your eyes open to witness this acrobatic flyer before it disappears on its winter migration to South America.
https://www.scwf.org/swallowtailed-kites
https://thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/https://stki.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/?_gl=1*12zppml*_ga*NzIxNzU4OTc5LjE3MjAwMTQ5MzQ.*_ga_6DPHEZYZQ9*MTcyMDAxNDkzNC4xLjAuMTcyMDAxNDkzNC4wLjAuMA..
https://www.dnr.sc.gov/swap/supplemental/birds/swallowtailedkite2015.pdf