The swallow-tailed kite (Elanoides forficatus) is a pernine raptor which breeds from the southeastern United States to eastern Peru and northern Argentina. It is the only species in the genus Elanoides. Most North and Central American breeders winter in South America where the species is resident year round. Taxonomy and systematics The swallow-tailed kite was first described as the "swallow-tail hawk" and "accipiter cauda furcata" (forked-tail hawk) by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in 1731. It was given the binomial scientific name Falco forficatus by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, published in 1758; he changed this to Falco furcatus in the 12th edition of 1766. The latter spelling was used widely during the 18th and 19th centuries, but the original spelling has precedence. The genus Elanoides was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1818. The name is from Ancient Greek for "kite" and for "resembling". Description The species is in length, with a wingspan of approximately . Male and female individuals appear similar. The body weight is . The body is a contrasting deep black and white. The flight feathers, tail, feet, bill are all black. Another characteristic is the elongated, forked tail at long, hence the name swallow-tailed. The wings are also relatively elongated, as the wing chord measures . The tarsus is fairly short for the size of the bird at . 50 to 68 cm in length, with a wingspan of 1.12–1.36 m with a wing chord measuring 39–45 cm. The body is a contrasting deep black and white. The upper side of the wings is black along with the, tail, feet, and bill. The underside of the wings is partly black and partly white. The forked tail is 27.5–37 centimeters long. Young swallow-tailed kites are duller in color than the adults, and the tail is not as deeply forked. Habitat and behavior The swallow-tailed kite is largely associated with large tracts of wetland forests which accommodates the birds nesting habits. Loblolly pines are the most prevalent choice for building nests but bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) are also used when the pines are unavailable. The major requirement of these nesting sites are food availability and tree height. Nesting locations are often found in trees as high as . Historic ranges in the United States covered the majority of the Southern states and much of the Midwest (as far north