The northern subspecies of the American Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forjicatus forjicatus) is a neotropical rapt or that breeds in parts of North America and winters in Central and South America (Meyer 1995). Prior to the 1900’s, it bred along the major drainages of the Mississippi Valley as far north as Minnesota, the Gulf Coast from Texas east throughout Florida, and along the Atlantic coast of South Carolina, encompassing as many as 21 states.