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Square-tailed Kite
Lophoictinia isura
Conservation Status
Vulnerable species in New South Wales (Threatened Species Conservation Act).
What does it look like?
It is a reddish, medium-sized, long-winged raptor, about the size of a Little Eagle or harrier. Adults have a white face with thick black streaks on the crown and finer streaks elsewhere. The saddle, rump and central upper tail coverts are blackish with grey-brown barring. The underparts are predominantly grey-brown with black tips on the grey, square-tipped tail and wing edges. A key character in flights is the long fingered, upswept wings with a large white patch at the base of the barred ‘fingers’. (from DEC NSW Threatened Species Profile)
Where does it live?
It ranges along coastal and subcoastal areas from south-western to northern Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is a summer migrant to the south-east, including the NSW South Coast between September and March. There is one record for Pittwater with an individual sighted along Chiltern Trail in Ingleside. They live in a variety of timbered habitats, with a preference for watercourses. It will also live in more open habitats in arid areas.
What does it eat and what is its life cycle?
This kite preys upon passerines as well as tree canopy dwelling insects over a large range of more than 100km2. Breeding occurs July to February, with nests positioned in a fork or horizontal limb, again with a preference for watercourses.
Updated: 18 Jul 2011
Related Links
- Square-tailed Kite - DEC NSW Threatened Species Profile