Tag Archives: Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite, Feeding Sequence

October 13, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

I’ve witnessed and photographed a Yellow-billed Kite feeding before, but it never gets old. Even if I once again didn’t get the actual snatching of the food as the handler tossed it high into the air.

Yellow-billed Kite Catching Food In Flight

Kites of all kinds grab their food with their feet while in flight then pass it to their mouths.

Imagine how much work it is to keep yourself fed this way.

The tossed beef pieces mimic the Kite’s natural diet of insects .

Yellow-billed Kite, Milvus aegyptius

Ted and I recently attended our fifth Photography Day at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awenda, SC. Photographers have an opportunity to take close-up images of a number of birds of prey as well as some flight demonstrations. As always the staff and volunteers provided a fun and educational experience.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Awenda, SC.
Photography Day, October 10, 2021

Raptor

Yellow-billed Kite

August 11, 2021 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

When we visited the Center for Birds of Prey in June the Yellow-billed Kite was part of the flight demonstration. First they demonstrated how the bird snatches prey with its feet then passes it to its mouth. It happens really fast and I only captured the pre-swallow moment.

After flying, the Kite perched with the handler, fluffing its wings.

The handler turned so the Kite was facing the audience.

The bird adjusted to stay facing right, into the morning wind.

Raptor

Yellow-billed Kite: On the Ground

June 2, 2018 Ellen Jennings 6 Comments

As part of the Yellow-billed Kite flying demonstration the handler tosses pieces of raw meat into the air to simulate a bug and the Kite catches them on the fly. I didn’t get a decent picture of that action, but in the sequence below the bird missed and immediately dropped to the ground to find the food.

The demonstration field was covered in little yellow flowers, a pretty background for this brown bird.

He sauntered around a bit for taking to the sky again.

Yellow-billed Kite, Milvus aegyptius

Ted, TPJ Photo, captured some nice images of the mid-air feeding and the Kite taking food from the handler on the fly.

The Center for Birds of Prey offers photographers an opportunity to take close-up photographs of owls and other birds of prey a few times a year.

The Center for Birds of Prey, Photography Day, April 22, 2018, Awenda, SC.

Raptor

Yellow-billed Kite: In the Air

May 29, 2018 Ellen Jennings 3 Comments

After his posing session at the Center for Birds of Prey Photography Day this Yellow-billed Kite had an opportunity to fly.

Yellow-billed Kite Flying with radio transmitter attached

Kites catch thier prey, mostly insects, by snatching from the air with their feet. This requires a lot of swooping and circling to get higher off the ground.

The Center’s birds are fed and according to the handler will not seek out food during flying demonstrations, returning to the handler for the reward of food. This particular Kite seemed to enjoy his time in the air, circling around the demonstration field over the row of photographers several times.