Elanus
| Elanus | |
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| Black-shouldered kite, Elanus axillaris | |
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| Genus: | Elanus Savigny, 1809
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| species | |
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E. caeruleus | |
Elanus is a genus of bird of prey in the elanid kite subfamily. It consists of four species.
- Black-winged kite, Elanus caeruleus
- Black-shouldered kite, Elanus axillaris
- White-tailed kite, Elanus leucurus
- Letter-winged kite, Elanus scriptus
The first three species above were considered conspecific as subspecies of Elanus caeruleus, which has been known as the black-shouldered kite.
These are white and grey raptors of open country, with black wing markings and a short square tail. They hunt by slowly quartering the habitat for rodents and other small mammals, birds and insects, sometimes hovering like a kestrel.
References
- Ferguson-Lees, Christie, Franklin, Mead and Burton Raptors of the World ISBN 0-7136-8026-1