The tentative identification of this raptor as kite did not sit well with me. I think Swallow-tailed Kite (a plausible early spring vagrant) is easily ruled out by the generally dark aspect to the body, tail and wings, and don't think this is entirely attributable to shadow. Swallow-tails are distinctive at all ages in the degree of contrast between the white head/ body and the black flight feathers. Mississippi Kites are darker but the tail appears fan shaped or narrow and square but never deeply forked. A Peregrine with one or two central tail feathers missing or damaged seems a better match to my eyes in terms of coloration and silhouette. The narrowness of the wings, especially at the base, might be an issue but perhaps this is because the bird is turned slightly?
Revisiting the corresponding eBird checklist, I see the observer has now come to same conclusion: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S44965401 Fair enough but I think it's worth sharing the revision with the list so that there's no misunderstandings about whether or not a kite was logged. Still plenty of opportunities for either kite, especially if any are sighted from Sandy Hook NJ where in years past examples have been seen drifting over the Raritan Bay towards NY. Angus Wilson New York City On Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 11:48 AM, David Barrett <mil...@gmail.com> wrote: > This morning at 10:55 Gus Keri briefly saw and photographed what appeared > to be a raptor with a long, forked-tail over Canarsie Beach Park in > Brooklyn. View and photo were heavily backlit, into the sun, so coloration > could not be perceived: > > https://twitter.com/BirdBrklyn/status/989519637820952584 > > Swallow-tailed Kite is one possibility and the photo may suggest some > other ones. The bird was flying east toward Jamaica Bay. > > David Barrett > www.bigmanhattanyear.com > -- > -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
