Square-tailed Kite

About the Square-tailed Kite

The square-tailed kite (Lophoictinia isura) is a medium-sized bird of prey native to Australia. It is in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers. German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup described the square-tailed kite in 1847.

The square-tailed kite is monomorphic with no recorded geographic variations. As an adult the square-tailed kite is a medium-sized raptor, with the following features: Length: 50–56 cm (tail is about half the length of bird)

Wingspan: 130–145 cm Weight: Male-501g, Female-650g As an adult, the squared-tailed kite has a white face, with pale eyes and black streaks across the crown. The breast is also heavily streaked. The ventral surface of the wings has a rufous-brown lining, a dark carpal crescent, and a boldly barred finger. There is also a pale white patch on the ventral surface of the wings, at the base of the primary feathers; the saddle, rump and central upper tail-coverts are blackish, while the upper tail-coverts are grey-brown and fade into a small pale patch above the tail. The tail itself is square with dark sub-terminal band. Square... Wikipedia →