White-tailed Kites (Elanus caeruleus desfontaines) are commonly seen at the Elkhorn Slough hovering in the air while hunting for food. These Kites are usually seen in marshes, farmlands, and grassy foothills which makes the slough a perfect place for these birds to thrive. They mostly eat California Voles and other rodents, but also eat birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and large insects. Kites, like other birds of prey, regurgitate pellets after eating. A pellet is fur, bones or feathers that the bird could not digest, compacted into a little pellet. Researchers and students sometimes collect these pellets to see what the bird has been eating. Here at the reserve, we often find pellets on the ground. Dissecting pellets can be very interesting. Let's see what's inside this one...

White-tailed Kites nest in the treetops. Their eggs are white, marked with brown. While nesting, the male does all the hunting for the female and their young. The food is transferred from hunter to mate in midair.