White-tailed Kite

White-tailed Kite
Elanus leucurus

Formerly known as the “Black-shouldered Kite,” the White-tailed Kite can be readily identified by its white plumage, red eyes, and its hovering behavior while hunting.

They can be found year-round in distinct population patches that include western California and Oregon, southern Texas, and much of coastal and central Mexico. Once faced with extinction in California due to sport shooting and egg-collecting, federal protection has allowed this species to recover in the decades since the 1940s. Now, our state hosts one of the highest populations of White-tailed Kites in North America.

You can find these raptors in lower elevation habitats with open fields, where their main prey species—voles and mice—are in abundance. Avoiding the use of rodenticide in and around our homes can help this unique raptor thrive.

Our White-Tailed Kite, Phoenix, came to us in August 2025. He was brought into the hospital with permanent vision impairment on one side, likely caused by neurological damage from head trauma.