Kathy Bishop recently photographed this White-tailed Kite. Kathy wrote,

“I was watching an elegant pair of White-tailed Kites skimming a pasture near Manchester when one glided toward me and settled to take a break.”

They mostly eat small mammals. I have seen one hunting at Gualala Point Regional Park. They have the ability to hover in the air. Here is what allaboutbirds.org says about White-tailed Kites: "While hunting, the White-tailed Kite characteristically hovers up to 80 feet off the ground and then drops straight down onto prey items. This ability to hold a stationary position in midair without flapping is accomplished by facing into the wind, and is so characteristic of these birds that it has come to be called kiting. White-tailed Kites also perform ritualized courtship displays in which a male offers prey to a female prior to egg laying. In an often spectacular aerial exchange, the female flies up to meet the male, turns upside-down, and grasps the prey."

Siegfried Matull once witnessed this ritualized courtship and photographed this amazing sight as the male brought a vole to his mate.

White-tailed Kites are year round residents of the Mendonoma coast. Their call is whistle-like and you can hear it here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Kite/sounds

Thanks to Kathy and Siegfried for allowing me to share their photos with you here.