I am fascinated with the acrobatics of the swallow-tailed kite as it soars through the skies, rarely flapping its wings and using its distinctive forked tails - which can rotate 90 degrees, allowing the elegant bird of prey to turn on a dime.
Swallow-tailed kites arrive in Florida from
South America in late February to mid-March.
Rarely stationary, these high-altitude raptors spend an enormous amount of their time in flight, catching their meals of insects and small animals while on the fly. Even drinking water is obtained - not unlike a thrasher - by skimming the water's surface.
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