have been known to associate with cattle, flying immediately overhead and hawking any insects that they flush. They breed in loose colonies of up to 20 pairs, although will do so as single pairs, mainly on May to August but breeds in December to February in the west and March- June or August in Kenya. A small stick nest is built an acacia or thorny bush at 2-8m from the ground. The nest is often sited close to the nest of a large raptor such as a secretary bird or a brown snake eagle, occasionally close to buildings. Status The species is vulnerable to degradation of the habitat and pesticides. However, populations seem to be locally common in spite of decline in some parts of the range. References scissor-tailed kite Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa scissor-tailed kite Taxa named by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot Taxonomy articles created by Polbot