Some birds are called kites. 
Kites are small birds with long wings. 
Elanine kites are small birds of prey. They have long, pointed wings. These birds live in many parts of the world. Some live in Africa and Asia. Others live in the Americas or Australia.
These kites hunt in different ways. Some species hunt for rodents. They might sit on a branch to look. They can also hover in the air. Other kites eat insects. The scissor-tailed kite catches bugs while flying. It has a very long, forked tail.
Some kites are very small. The pearl kite is one of these. It is black on top and white below.
Scientists study these birds to see how they are related. They look at things like bones and genes. For example, elanine kites have a bony shelf above the eye. This is a special part of their face. Some other kites do not have this bone. This helps experts group them together.
Elanine kites are small birds of prey. They are known for being lightly built. These birds have long and pointed wings.
These kites have many ways to find food. The Elanus species mostly hunt for rodents. They might sit on a perch to look for prey. They can also hover in the air like kestrels. The scissor-tailed kite hunts differently. It catches insects while it is flying. It also takes small reptiles from tree branches. This bird has a very long and deeply forked tail. The pearl kite is very small and eats insects too.
Scientists have studied these birds for a long time. Edward Blyth described them in 1851. He called them the "smooth clawed kites." Other experts like Louis Pierre Vieillot worked on them too. In 1824, Nicholas Vigors grouped some kites together. He listed three known species at that time. Later, in 1931, a scientist named Peters used the name Elaninae. He included the genera Elanus, Chelictinia, and Machaeramphus. The study of these birds helps us understand how they are grouped.
There are many specific details about these birds. The group has six species in three genera. Two of these genera have only one species. Elanus species often have red eyes. They also have a black patch above the eye. Their legs and cere are yellow. Their beaks are black. The pearl kite is black on top and white below. It may have a reddish color around its legs. Some scientists use genes to study how they are related. This helps them see which birds are close cousins.
Learning about kites helps us see how nature works. For example, some kites have a bony shelf above the eye. This is a special feature of the Elaninae group. Other kites do not have this bone. This is a way scientists tell groups apart. Some kites even share traits with owls. They might have a stomach with lower acidity. They also have special flight feathers. These features are not usually found in other daytime birds of prey.
Elanine kites are a specialized group of small, lightly-built raptors. These birds belong to the family Accipitridae, which includes many hawks and eagles. They are easily recognized by their long, pointed wings. Some scientists classify them as the formal subfamily Elaninae. This group is important for understanding how different birds of prey evolved. They show us how specific physical traits can help birds survive in different environments.
These kites use different methods to find and catch their food. Members of the genus Elanus are primarily rodent hunters. They search for prey from a perch or by hovering in the air. This hovering behavior is similar to how kestrels hunt. In contrast, the genus Chelictinia feeds while flying through the air. They catch insects mid-flight or grab small reptiles from tree branches. The genus Gampsonyx is very small and focuses on eating insects.
The Elaninae subfamily contains six different species organized into three genera. Two of these genera are monotypic, meaning they contain only one species each. The genus Elanus includes species like the black-winged kite, the black-shouldered kite, the white-tailed kite, and the letter-winged kite. The genus Chelictinia contains the scissor-tailed kite. Finally, the genus Gampsonyx contains the pearl kite.
Scientists have spent a long time studying the history and classification of these birds. In 1851, the British zoologist Edward Blyth described them as "smooth clawed kites." Earlier, in 1824, Nicholas Vigors grouped certain kites together in a group called Stirps Milvina. In 1931, a researcher named Peters used the subfamily name Elaninae. He included the genera Elanus, Chelictinia, and Machaeramphus in his list. Over time, genetic research has changed how we group these birds. For example, some species once thought to be elanine kites were moved to different subfamilies.
The distribution of these birds covers much of the globe. The black-winged kite has a massive range. It lives from Europe and Africa in the west to Southeast Asia in the east. Other species are more restricted to specific areas. There are two endemic species in the Americas and two in Australia. One species is found in Africa. This wide variety of locations shows how adaptable these raptors can be.
Physical features help scientists distinguish Elaninae from other groups like the Perninae. Elanine kites possess a bony shelf, or eye shield, located above the eye. This feature is absent in the Perninae subfamily. Some elanine kites also show surprising connections to owls. They have a lower stomach acidity than many other birds. They also possess specialized flight feathers that are not usually found in diurnal raptors. These traits suggest unique evolutionary paths.
Modern science uses genetic sequencing to understand these connections even more deeply. Researchers look at mitochondrial marker genes to see how these kites split from other Accipitridae. Some studies suggest that the genus Elanus might be basal to other Accipitridae. This means they may have branched off very early in the family's history. By studying these genes, scientists can map out the complex family tree of all birds of prey.
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