Black- winged Kite 227 



are swept by the wind from under them, when they often remain poised almost 

 motionless in the air until the twigs return to their feet. When looking out for 

 prey, this Kite usually maintains a height of sixty or seventy feet above the 

 ground, and in its actions strikingly resembles a fishing Gull, frequently remain- 

 ing poised in the air with body motionless and wings rapidly vibrating." The 

 food of the White-tailed Kite consists of snakes, lizards, frogs, mice, grasshoppers, 

 and an occasional small bird. The favorite nesting site appears to be in live- 

 oak trees, but other trees, such as cottonwoods and maples, are sometimes 

 selected. The nest is usually well up from the ground, and composed of coarse 

 sticks and lined with bark, straw, etc. In the United States the number of eggs 

 in a set is usually four or five, whereas in Argentina the number appears to be 

 eight. They are creamy white, heavily marked over their entire surface with 

 irregular blotches and smears of dark blood-red and claret-brown. But a single 

 brood is reared in a year, both parents assisting in the care of the young. 



Black- winged Kite. The best known Old W 7 orld species is the Black- 

 winged Kite (E. ccsruleus), a much smaller bird than the last, being only a little 

 more than thirteen inches long. It is ash-gray above, lighter on the head, and 

 pure white below, a ring about the eyes and the lesser and middle wing-coverts 

 black, while the tail is whitish on the upper side. It is further distinguished by 

 having the cere, orbits, and feet yellow, the bill black and the irides carmine-red. 

 This species ranges from southeastern Europe through Africa and India, being 

 especially abundant in Egypt and many parts of India. They are described as 

 bold, fearless birds, unconcernedly permitting a near approach of man, and 

 often to be seen sitting on telegraph wires and the summits of tall trees. They 

 are apparently somewhat gregarious, for Sharpe speaks of having seen in South 

 Africa as many as nine in the branches of one tree. They utter, especially on 

 the wing, a frequent and very piercing cry, and when in flight they are given 

 to hovering over grass after the well-known manner of the Kestrel, the wings 

 being held upward so that the tips are within three or four inches of each other 

 while the feet and tail hang downward. They hold themselves for a few moments 

 in this position as they slowly descend to within a few feet of the ground, when 

 they drop suddenly. Their food consists largely of insects, but they also take 

 small reptiles and birds when occasion presents. They build a large nest in 

 low bushes or in the forks of a tree, and line it carefully with feathers and moss. 

 In India it appears that two broods are reared in a year, although in other parts 

 of their range it is doubtful if this condition prevails. The eggs are tw r o or three 

 in number, with a white or bluish white ground and irregular streaks and blotches 

 of yellowish brown. 



The Letter-winged Kite (E. scriptus] of Australia is so named from the fact 

 that there is a black mark on the under surface of the wing, which, "following 

 the line of the bones from the body to the pinion, assumes when the wing is 

 spread the form of the letter V, or, if both wings are seen from beneath at the 

 same time, that of a W, divided in the center by the body." It is the smallest 

 species, being only twelve inches long, and is a delicate ashy white above, except 

 for the coverts and a patch on the outside of the wing, which are black, and pure 



