Elanus is a genus of bird of prey in the elanid kite subfamily. It consists of four species.

• Black-winged Kite, Elanus caeruleus
• Australian Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris
• White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus
• Letter-winged Kite, Elanus scriptus

The first three species above were considered conspecific as subspecies of the Black-shouldered Kite.

These are white and grey raptors of open country, with black shoulder markings and a short square tail. They hunt by slowly quartering the habitat for rodents and other small mammals, birds and insects, sometimes hovering like a kestrel.

References

• Ferguson-Lees, Christie, Franklin, Mead and Burton Raptors of the World ISBN: 0713680261