Dictionary.com

swallow-tailed kite

Save This Word!

noun
an American kite, Elanoides forficatus, having black upper parts, white head and underparts, and a long, deeply forked tail.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of swallow-tailed kite

First recorded in 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swallow-tailed kite in a sentence

  • "A swallow-tailed kite," Knight said as the bird dropped suddenly into clearer view.

  • The length of the beak would probably exclude from consideration, the swallow-tailed kite that also occurs in the region.

    Animal Figures in the Maya Codices|Alfred M. Tozzer and Glover M. Allen
FEEDBACK