American Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusElanoides (Swallow-tailed Kites)
- SpeciesElanoides forficatus (American Swallow-tailed Kite)
The swallow-tailed kite (Elanoides forficatus) is a pernine raptor which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. It is the only species in the genus Elanoides. Most North and Central American breeders winter in South America where the species is resident year round. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
Common Black-Hawk
Buteogallus anthracinus
Zone-tailed Hawk
Buteo albonotatus
Crane Hawk
Geranospiza caerulescens
Gray-lined Hawk
Buteo nitidus
Roadside Hawk
Rupornis magnirostris
White-tailed Hawk
Buteo albicaudatus
Great Black-Hawk
Buteogallus urubitinga
Snail Kite
Rostrhamus sociabilis
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneus
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of American Swallow-tailed Kite at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there