Swallow-tailed kite

Swallow-tailed kites are not Michigan birds, or even 'anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line' birds. They like South America, Mexico, and at their most northern, the Gulf Coast. But that hasn't stopped them in the summer of 2026, when they've been spotted all over the place in my state; St. Clair County, Van Buren County, and finally on August 12th in Washtenaw.

In less degraded days, these kites used to nest as far north as Minnesota, so maybe their vagrancy is a promising sign that they're finding their old homeland hospitable once again. Maybe it's the blistering weather or wildfires driven by climate change. Maybe it's both.

In any case, it's a spectacular bird and I was thrilled to see it no matter why our paths may have crossed. The Michigan birder chat claims that the last record of this bird in Washtenaw County was in 1924, when Calvin Coolidge was president and World War I was still the Great War. Little documentation of that 1924 bird still exists; given the number of people with massive cameras at the kite spot (myself included), this 2026 bird will be documented for posterity from all angles. The bird was remarkably cooperative from a photographic perspective, wheeling around in deft circles as low as ten or fifteen feet up. Someone said they saw the bird eating bees. It's a long way back to the south, so I hope the bird can get all it needs from Michigan to fuel up for the trip.