Noted for its graceful flight and distinctive color and form, the Swallow-Tailed Kite is the mascot of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. This agile raptor catches and eats nearly all its prey (small reptiles, amphibians, and insects mainly) while on the wing. Few other Florida birds inspire such poetic descriptions: “elegant”, “lovely”, “graceful”, treated with “loving reverence”, “spectacular”, “matchless”, “meteor-like”, “flying with abandon and airy ease that is difficult to imagine”. Its deeply forked tail and striking black and white coloring make this bird easy to see soaring with the thermals over highways in the summer.
