The story of the bird
Nothing else in the American sky looks like the swallow-tailed kite. Clean black and white, a long deeply forked tail, and a buoyant, effortless glide that barely seems to beat a wing. A fine-art study in the Audubon tradition, drawn to hold the crisp two-tone plumage and the elegant scissor tail that make this the most graceful raptor on the continent.
Where to hang it
A light, elegant print for a lake house, a sunroom, a screened porch or a coastal home in the Southeast, where these birds nest and gather. The black-and-white plumage keeps it easy against almost any wall.
Best gift for
A birder or a Southern nature lover, especially anyone who watches the summer kites drift over the cypress and pine of Florida and the Gulf Coast. It is the knowing, quietly beautiful gift, far from the usual eagle.
Paper and finish
Unframed prints come on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm, a heavyweight cotton rag with a soft matte surface and true archival life. The framed option is set in a classic moulding, glazed and ready to hang, in black, white or natural.
Sizes
Three sizes: 8x10, 16x20 and 24x30 inches, or an instant digital download at $9. Prints from $39. Framed from $99.
About the bird
The swallow-tailed kite catches insects and small prey on the wing and even drinks by skimming the surface of the water in flight. Once found far up the Mississippi valley, it now breeds mainly in the Southeast and winters in South America, gathering in spectacular numbers before the fall migration.
Full field guide: /species/swallow-tailed-kite/
