White-tailed Kite

In the United States, White-tailed Kites, Elanus leucurus,  are primarily found along the west coast as far north as Oregon, and in Texas. They are beautiful raptors that have striking red eyes and black shoulders. They hunt while hovering in the air while facing into the wind. To me, they almost look angelic as they hover, but they are fierce hunters. When they’ve locked on to prey, they often dive, head first toward the ground, righting themselves just moments before they hit the ground to seize their prey with their talons.

I use my own photographs as reference images for my subjects. I photographed this kite in the Vic Fazio/Yolo Wildlife Area along the Yolo Causeway near Sacramento in California. The area is a combination of wetlands and grasslands. We often see White-tailed kites perched in trees or hunting, but it can be difficult to get close to them for any length of time. This one was incredibly accommodating, allowing me to watch and photograph it for about fifteen minutes. For this reason, I believe it was a young adult—it had adult plumage, but was young enough to let me get quite close.