Beak of the Week – White-tailed Kite

Simultaneously elegant and fierce, White-tailed Kites are medium-sized raptors, related to hawks and eagles. They are white underneath and gray above, with a bold wing pattern. They have distinct black shoulder patches, and when viewed from underneath, they also have black wingtips and large black spots near their wrists. The combination of this wing pattern and their namesake bright white tails is distinctive, and can differentiate them from Mississippi Kites and Swallow-tailed Kites. Young White-tailed Kites are similar in appearance to adults, but have some brown streaking on the head and breast. Like other kites, White-tailed Kites have long, pointed wings and are quite graceful in flight.

White-tailed Kites are denizens of grasslands, open woodlands and savannas. Their range in the United States is largely restricted to California, the Texas Gulf Coast, and southern Florida, though they can also be found throughout Central America and as far south as Argentina and Chile. They are commonly seen hovering in place while searching for prey, a behavior known as kiting! Their diet consists primarily of small mammals such as voles.

These incredible raptors can be seen patrolling the fields at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Galveston Island State Park, Horseshoe Marsh Bird Sanctuary, and Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary.