(Click to enlarge)
"With its body turned toward the wind and wings gently flapping, it hovers above the ground, a behavior that’s so distinctive it’s become known as kiting."
-allaboutbirds.org
Kiting isn't the only difference that makes White-tailed Kites drastically different from its other raptor cousins, they also migrate up, traveling from as far as Argentina to be in California during the non-breeding season, where they also flock together in massive communes. As many as 100 White-tailed Kites can be seen together in one tree. They also don't live as long, only four to five years in the wild as opposed to 20 for other birds of prey species. However, with unmarked white bodies, jet black shoulders, and red eyes, they are surely one of the most distinctive and identifiable raptors in the world.
"With its body turned toward the wind and wings gently flapping, it hovers above the ground, a behavior that’s so distinctive it’s become known as kiting."
-allaboutbirds.org
Kiting isn't the only difference that makes White-tailed Kites drastically different from its other raptor cousins, they also migrate up, traveling from as far as Argentina to be in California during the non-breeding season, where they also flock together in massive communes. As many as 100 White-tailed Kites can be seen together in one tree. They also don't live as long, only four to five years in the wild as opposed to 20 for other birds of prey species. However, with unmarked white bodies, jet black shoulders, and red eyes, they are surely one of the most distinctive and identifiable raptors in the world.