What is "elanid kite"

n. Any of several small, long-winged, hovering raptors of the Elaninae subfamily.

An elanid kite is any of several small, lightly-built raptors with long, pointed wings.

Some authorities list the group as a formal subfamily, Elaninae. As a subfamily there are six species in three genera with two of these genera being monotypic. Two other species have at times been included with the group, but genetic research has shown them to belong to different subfamilies.

Elanid kites have a near-worldwide distribution, with two endemic species found in the Americas, two in Australia, and one in Africa, while the black-winged kite is found over a vast range from Europe and Africa in the west to Southeast Asia in the east.