White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)

Family
Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles)

Size
38 - 43 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Vieillot, 1818)

Habitat
Pastureland. Also, inland wetlands, subtropical and tropical dry shrubland, seasonally wet / flooded grassland, urban areas. From sea-level - 2,600 m.

Range (Guide)

Argentina, Aruba, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay (B), USA (B), Venezuela.

Vagrant to French Guiana.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 500,000 - 4,999,999 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (49)...)

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) [XC246576]
by Manuel Grosselet from Minatitlan, refineria de SAnta Alejandrina, Veracruz, Mexico (call)

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) [XC57604]
by Denise S. Wight from La Rinconada (3 km al SW de Saladillo), Saladillo, provincia Buenos Aires, Argentina (call)

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) and Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris), and all sometimes considered a single species, but morphology and behavioural differences support specific status.

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

majusculus Bangs & Penard, TE, 1920 - Western and southern USA (from Oregon to central Florida, occasionally to South Carolina) and northern Mexico. Also most of Central America (race uncertain).
leucurus (Vieillot, 1818) - Panama, south through Amazonia to central Argentina (Mendoza and Buenos Aires) and central Chile (Valdivia).

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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