SWALLOW-TAILED KITE 51 



cypress swamp. I was sitting uuder the shade of au oak, eating my lunch, 

 when I saw a Kite come sailing around over the lake, finally coming down 

 lower and lower. Satisfying itself that no harm was near, it swooped down 

 to the surface and merely brushed its belly in the water for several yards, 

 as if wishing to cool off ; it was probably a setting bird. It then rose, circled 

 about, and again swooped down, this time trailing its entire underparts and 

 long tail in the water, taking a drink by dipping its bill in the lake. This was 

 repeated six or eight more times with variations; sometimes merely trailing 

 its body and tail feathers and not drinking, or doing both at the same time. 

 After about ten minutes, the bird circled high, shook itself, folding its wings 

 as it did so, dropped several feet, and then sailed from sight. 



Voice. — I recorded the cries of distress or anxiety over fallen 

 companions as weak, squealing, or whistling notes. Bendire (1892) 

 says : "Their call notes are a shrill keen 'e-e-e,' or ^we-we-we,'' uttered 

 in a high key, which is very piercing and may be heard at a great 

 distance." When several are flying together they have been heard 

 to give soft twittering notes. Mr. Nicholson refers to their notes as 

 "shrill, sweet cries, sounding like peat, peat, peat.^^ 



Field marks. — The white head, neck, and underparts, the black 

 wings and back, and the long, forked, black tail are unmistakable. 

 But, above all, the graceful, swallowlike flight makes the bird rec- 

 ognizable as far as it can be seen. It need never be mistaken for any- 

 thing else. 



Fall. — Most observer^ record the swallow-tailed kite as a summer 

 resident in the United States, departing in August or September 

 for its winter home in Central or South America. It often occurs 

 in large flocks while migrating. There are, however, some late fall 

 and winter records for even the northern portion of its former range. 

 D. H. Talbot (1882) saw a flock of 50 or more near Bismarck, 

 N. Dak., on November 17, 1881. And Dr. Elliott Coues (1878) was 

 informed by Dr. C. E. McChesney of the presence of this kite at 

 Fort Sisseton, Dakota, during nearly the whole of the previous 

 winter. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — The United States east of the Eocky Mountains, south 

 to Argentina. Casual in the Northern States and in southern 

 Canada; accidental in Great Britain. Now practically extirpated 

 from the northern part of its range. 



Breeding range. — The breeding range of the swallow-tailed kite 

 has extended north to probably formerly Nebraska (Doss and 

 London) ; formerly Minnesota (Lake Minnetonka) ; formerly Wis- 

 consin (Fort Atkinson and Racine) ; probably formerly Ohio (Port- 

 age and Stark Counties) ; and North Carolina (Lake Ellis). East 

 to North Carolina (Lake Ellis) ; South Carolina (Chester and 

 Charleston) ; Georgia (Marshallville and probably St. Marys) ; 

 Florida (Palatka, San Mateo, Orlando, Lake Gentry, St. Johns 



