Tag Archives: White-tailed Kite

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Eric Zetterholm photographed an encounter between a White-tailed Kite and a Bald Eagle near the Gualala River. The White-tailed Kite seems to want to drive off the much larger eagle.

It sure looks like the Bald Eagle is "yelling" at the Kite in this photo.

And then the Bald Eagle takes flight. He/she sure looks miffed to me!

Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photos with you here. They tell quite a story.

ooo, the fog rolled in this morning. It's been so dry with very low humidity, so the moisture of the fog is quite welcome. The fog is only along the immediate coast, but it has cooled things off.

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I love these beautiful birds. White-tailed Kites are a joy to see. John Batchelder recently photographed an adult hovering in the air, listening for its prey in the meadow below. Watch out, Voles!

Steve Stewart got this great close up of a juvenile White-tailed Kite resting on a branch.

Their calls are a quiet chirp. You can listen for yourself at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Kite/sounds

Thanks to John and Steve for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We are having a lovely autumn day on the coast today. Cool and calm, just the way we like it!

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Karen Wilkinson found a White-tailed Kite hunting for its meal. She photographed the beautiful bird at the moment he/she spots a rodent.

Success! The kite has its meal while perched on a tree.

Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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When Craig Tooley has time to roam the Mendonoma coast, great photos are sure to come in. Here is a Cooper's Hawk.

Craig noticed this White-tailed Hawk soaring through the sky.

And, finally, a magnificent Red-tailed Hawk.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com

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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.