THE SWALLOW-TAILED KITE 51 



Suborder Falcones. Vultures, Falcons, Hawks, Buzzards, 

 Eagles, Kites, Harriers, etc. 



Family BUTEONIDAE. Hawks, Eagles. Kites, etc. 

 Genus Elanoides Vieillot. 



2. ELANOIDES FORFICATUS (Linn.). 327. 

 Swallow-tailed Kite. 



Field Characters. A long-winged, fork-tailed, black and white 

 Hawk, resembling a big swallow. Unlike any other Iowa bird of 

 prey. Possessed of remarkable powers of flight; feeding while on 

 the wing. 



Description. Head, neck and rump, white. Back, upper surface 

 of wings and entire tail black. Below, white, including under sur- 



is. The Swallow-tailed Kite. 



face of wings. Tail very deeply forked; outer tail feathers more 

 than twice as long as middle ones. 



Immature birds have dark shaft pencilings on feathers of the 

 head. 



