Most often kites that were catching their prey by skimming close to
the ground did not return to a perch but ate while they were flying.
Associations of groups on posts at edges of fields, in trees or in
flight were ephemeral as each bird seemed driven by a restless urge to
be in motion. The kites generally gave the impression of catching
their prey effortlessly and casually in the course of their flights.
However, on July 20, 1961, one flying over a pond was seen to swoop
three times in rapid succession at a dragonfly without catching it.
The kite then flew higher, circled, and swooped three times more at
the dragonfly, catching it on the last attempt. Most of the insects
preyed upon are slower and less elusive than dragonflies, which are
largely immune to the attacks of flying predators because of their
great prowess in flight.

Only on rare occasions could the kind of prey captured be observed in
the field. Food habits were studied by collecting pellets of the kites
at the Park, and analyzing them. The pellets were usually disgorged
early in the morning while the kites were still on their night roosts
in large cottonwoods. Often several kites roosted in the same tree.
The pellets were of characteristic appearance, elliptical,
approximately 15 millimeters in diameter, 30 millimeters long, pinkish
or purplish, composed of insects' exoskeletons compacted, and
comminuted to about the consistency they would have after passing
through a meat grinder.

A total of 205 pellets was collected--37 on August 20, 1960; 56 on
July 18, 1961; 60 on August 4 and 5, 1961, and 52 on August 21 to 23,
1961. A total of 453 separate items was tentatively identified.
Obviously the material was far from ideal for the identification of
prey, which had to be reconstructed from minute fragments. The kites
are dainty feeders and discard the larger and less digestible parts
such as wings, legs, and heads. Often it was uncertain how many
individuals or how many kinds of insects were represented in a pellet.
Probably most pellets contained many individuals of the same species,
but these were not separable. Hence, only 2.2 items per pellet were
found, whereas Sutton found an average of 22.2 items in each of the 16
stomachs that he examined.

Best information concerning kinds of prey utilized was obtained soon
after the fledglings had left the nest; on various occasions these
still clumsy young dropped nearly intact insects that were delivered
t