Scissor-tailed Kite

Chelictinia riocourii (Temminck, 1821)

Scissor-tailed Kite, Chelictinia riocourii, is a bird of prey that breeds across Africa from Senegal and Gambia to Somalia and north-east Kenya. It is the only species in Chelictinia and is found in the arid savannah of the Sahel, with breeding also recorded in Ethiopia and Kenya. This kite is a small, slim species with a deeply forked tail, a broad head and long pointed wings. Adults show pale grey upperparts and white underparts, with a white forehead, a dark eye patch and red eyes.

Order

Accipitriformes

Family

Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Breeding range

Africa: Senegal and Gambia to Somalia and ne Kenya