Animal Pictures Archive mobile
Query: john gouldResult: 363rd of 445
Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus) - Wiki
Subject: Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus) - Wiki
Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus).jpg
Resolution: 290x421 File Size: 27149 Bytes Upload Date: 2007:10:22 10:51:35

Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus) - Wiki


Letter-winged Kite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Photo] Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus). Source http://www.trowbridgegallery.com.au/birds_pages/gould_collection1.htm Author John Gould. License: public domain

The Letter-winged Kite (Elanus scriptus) is a small, rare and irruptive Australian raptor with a core range in central Australia. It is similar in appearance to the Black-shouldered Kite except for a very distinctive black underwing pattern of a shallow ‘M’ shape, seen when in flight. It is largely nocturnal, roosting during the day in well-foliaged trees.

The usual habitat of the Letter-winged Kite is semi-arid open, shrubby or grassy country. Its principal prey is the Long-haired Rat, Rattus villosissimus. When population numbers of this rodent build up, following good rainfall, the Kites are able to breed continuously and colonially so that their numbers increase in parallel. When the rodent populations decline, the now superabundant Kites may disperse and appear in coastal areas far from their normal range in which, though they may occasionally breed, they do not persist and eventually disappear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter-winged_Kite
The text in this page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article shown in above URL. It is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Comments
Guest
Scientific Name: Elanus scriptus Gould, 1842
Common Names: Letter-winged Kite
French: Élanion lettré; German: Schwarzachselaar; Spanish: Elanio escrito
Taxonomy: Elanus scriptus Gould, 1842, Cooper Creek, South Australia.

john gould
363/445
| Mobile Home | New Photos | Random | Funny | Films | Korean |
^o^ Animal Pictures Archive for smart phones ^o^