The aerial acrobat that hunts with a rotating tail

Nature · Published 19 October 2026 · Updated 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: With a deeply forked tail and a flight so graceful it barely requires wingbeats, the Swallow-tailed Kite is a master of the sky. This raptor uses incredible aerial maneuvers—including rolling backward mid-flight—to snatch prey from the treetops while soaring effortlessly above the wetlands.

The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) is renowned for its extreme maneuverability. Its unique morphology, featuring long, pointed, swept wings and an elongated, forked tail, allows it to glide for long distances and execute tight turns. During hunts, the bird continually flicks and rotates its tail to scan for prey, sometimes even diving backward to capture insects behind it. This agility enables it to pluck dragonflies, wasps, and beetles from the air, or snatch lizards, snakes, and even nestling birds directly from tree branches.

While adults primarily hunt large flying insects, their parental duties involve a more varied diet. To feed their young, adults capture small vertebrates such as frogs and snakes. Interestingly, in Florida, these kites have been observed returning to nests with entire wasp nests to consume the larvae, subsequently incorporating the empty nest into their own platform of sticks, lichens, and Spanish moss. Their digestive systems are also specialized, possessing stomachs that are thicker and spongier than those of the average raptor.

The species' range has undergone significant shifts. Once common across the American Southeast and as far north as Minnesota, habitat degradation and changes in wetland hydrology have caused its U.S. range to shrink. Today, they are found mostly in Florida and parts of the deep South, though they still inhabit wooded wetlands across six other southeastern states. While their migration patterns are not fully understood, some individuals have been tracked on journeys exceeding 10,000 miles, moving from wintering grounds in South America to breeding sites in North America.

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