The scissor-tailed kite, also known commonly as the African swallow-tailed kite and the fork-tailed kite, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is the only species placed in the genus Chelictinia. It is widespread in the northern tropics of Africa.
Region
Sahel and northern tropical Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across the Sahel from Senegal and Mauritania east through Mali, Niger, and Chad to Sudan and western Ethiopia, with records into Somalia and northern Kenya. It favors open, semi-arid savannas, thorn scrub, and lightly wooded plains with scattered trees. The species is often found near recently burned grasslands, cultivated fields, and areas with locust or termite emergences. Breeding sites are typically in tall acacias, palms, or baobabs near open foraging habitat.
Altitude Range
0–1600 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small kite is the only member of the genus Chelictinia and is renowned for its extremely long, deeply forked tail. It often gathers in loose colonies and tracks insect outbreaks, especially locusts, across the Sahel. Its buoyant, swallow-like flight helps it snatch insects on the wing with great agility.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
buoyant with swift, swallow-like glides and flicks
Social Behavior
Frequently forms loose colonies for breeding and communal roosts outside the breeding season. Nests are placed high in trees, often in small groups, with simple stick structures lined with softer material. Courtship includes aerial chases and food passes.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet; gives thin whistles and high, squeaky calls, especially around colonies. Calls are brief and carry over open savanna but are not elaborate songs.
Plumage
Slim, pale kite with smooth grey upperparts and mostly white head and underparts; dark flight feathers contrast with paler coverts. Tail is extremely long and deeply forked, giving a scissor-like silhouette. Wings are narrow and pointed with a dark patch near the wrist.
Diet
Primarily hunts large aerial insects such as locusts, grasshoppers, and flying termites, often captured in mid-air. It also takes beetles and other sizable insects flushed from grass or following burns. When swarms are abundant, it feeds in groups and performs agile, continuous sallies.
Preferred Environment
Feeds over open savanna, fallow fields, recently burned areas, and along pasture edges where insects are concentrated. It often forages near livestock or in areas with wind or heat currents that loft insects.
