Birds & Birding in Costa Rica: – Costa Rica’s national motto and tourism slogan, “La Pura Vida” loosely translates to Live Life or Enjoy Life. With over 900 bird species recorded in Costa Rica, there is certainly lots to enjoy! With 12 of the world’s 18 life zones, its diverse landscapes, including tropical rainforests, cloud forests, mangroves, and savannas, provide habitat for a wide range of iconic birds A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE – (Species Account Blog #90)
TAXONOMIC TREE:
- ORDER: Accipitriformes,
- FAMILY: Accipitridae,
- BINOMIAL NAME: Elanoides forficatus
With its striking black and white plumage, deeply forked tail, and extraordinary aerial grace, the Swallow-tailed Kite is rarely misidentified as it courses low over the treetops in search of small vertebrates or twists and dives in pursuit of flying insects. Even at great distances, soaring Swallow-tailed Kites can be distinguished from Buteo hawks and vultures by their silhouette, slightly downcurved wings, and tendency to hang motionless while heading upwind. They rarely flap their wings but almost continuously rotate their tail, often to nearly 90 degrees, in order to hold a heading, turn abruptly, or trace tight circles while drifting across the sky. (from Birds of the World)
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES
In Costa Rica we saw several groups of Swallow-tailed Kites flying overhead near Sarapiqui and then later near Arenal.
PHOTO GALLERY
**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.
- A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
- PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
- BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
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