Jim Morris Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 I'm wondering what variety of Kite this is? This visual is from a rice field in Northern California. Thanks - Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinmt Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 White-tailed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Morris Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 Thanks---- I thought so as well. Another person suggested Black-shouldered, which I didn't think was found in California. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Brain Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 56 minutes ago, Jim Morris said: Thanks---- I thought so as well. Another person suggested Black-shouldered, which I didn't think was found in California. Black-shouldered Kite is the old name for White-tailed Kite. It was changed some years back, I don't know just when. This is the only Kite expected in N Calif. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Brain Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Bird Brain said: Black-shouldered Kite is the old name for White-tailed Kite. It was changed some years back, I don't know just when. This is the only Kite expected in N Calif. I tried to edit this above but it wouldn't let me!! Why does it refuse to let you edit a post so darn quick??!!?? Anyhow, I found that there is a Black-shouldered Kite found in Australia. When I first moved to Calif. in 2003 I had an old Reader's Digest bird book that listed this Kite as a Black-shouldered. I posted a photo of one on here and labeled it a Black-shouldered, and was corrected in that it was now called a White-tailed Kite. Anyhow, your bird is indeed a White-tailed Kite. Edited November 5, 2018 by Bird Brain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Friedman Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 36 minutes ago, Bird Brain said: I tried to edit this above but it wouldn't let me!! Why does it refuse to let you edit a post so darn quick??!!?? Anyhow, I found that there is a Black-shouldered Kite found in Australia. When I first moved to Calif. in 2003 I had an old Reader's Digest bird book that listed this Kite as a Black-shouldered. I posted a photo of one on here and labeled it a Black-shouldered, and was corrected in that it was now called a White-tailed Kite. Anyhow, your bird is indeed a White-tailed Kite. This is one of those name reversals that come from a lump and a split. This species used to be called the White-tailed Kite. In 1983 the AOU lumped it with the Australian species and what is now called the Black-winged Kite in Eurasia and Africa; the name was "Black-shouldered Kite". In 1993 it went back to splitting the New World species as "White-tailed Kite". BNA on line says the taxonomy of these species is still in flux. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Brain Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 1 minute ago, Jerry Friedman said: This is one of those name reversals that come from a lump and a split. This species used to be called the White-tailed Kite. In 1983 the AOU lumped it with the Australian species and what is now called the Black-winged Kite in Eurasia and Africa; the name was "Black-shouldered Kite". In 1993 it went back to splitting the New World species as "White-tailed Kite". BNA on line says the taxonomy of these species is still in flux. Thanks for clearing this up, Jerry. It can get confusing at times, especially when they change a name and then later change it back to the original. I have a hard enough time keeping up with them without the changes!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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