Kites: Birds of Glory As a rule, raptors, or birds of prey, are among the most admired and adored birds in the world. From the California condor to the snowy owl, few birds compare to the tigers of the air: the great hunters whose beauty and skill have inspired art and literature for centuries. The most glorious feathers of the peacock or the vibrant plumage of a bunting cannot compete with the power of a peregrine falcon or the determination of an osprey. Included in this group of hunters, however, is one bird of prey that is little known but equally impressive. The kites of the world are generally smaller than most raptors, but just as astonishing in skill and grace as any other hunter of the skies.

Most people think of paper or cloth structures flown with string from the ground when the word 'kite' is used. In addition to these popular toys, kite can also refer to a type of raptor. Kites have a small head, a short beak and long narrow wings and tail. Kites can be found all over the world in mostly warm regions. Kites live on a variety of prey—from insects to small rodents or reptiles. Some kites eat only one kind of prey. Kites are generally masterful in the air and represent a group of birds that are among the most acrobatic of fliers.

Two of the most familiar kites in the Southern United States are the swallow-tailed kite and the Mississippi kite. The Mississippi kite is rather plain to look at: a light brown and gray body with a buff or white colored head. But to watch a Mississippi kite fly is to watch a ballet in the air. These raptors eat primarily flying insects, so they do most of their hunting on the wing. As you might imagine, catching flying insects requires a great deal of agility and speed. If you are lucky enough to see one in flight, you will be amazed at the quick turns, graceful moves, and speedy pursuits of this bird. Look for them above large fields, especially during the summer.

The swallow-tailed kite, also common in the South, is more easily identifiable and often seen flying over roads. With black wings and tail, white head and body, and a forked or swallow-like tail, this raptor is just as acrobatic as the Mississippi kite. Swallow-tailed kites like flying over highways in the summer as they can take advantage of the thermals, or columns of warmed air, that rise above the pavement. Once they have climbed to sufficient height, swallow-tails will glide, looking for snakes and reptiles and insects. They also eat small rodents, frogs, and other birds on occasion. Watching a swallow-tail fly is a lot like watching a gymnast perform a floor routine. Rarely flapping its wings, it uses its forked tail to make sharp turns, trace circles in the sky, or simply maintain a heading. Skilled, accomplished, and graceful, this bird is as entertaining as it is beautiful.

Both kites are known to eat while flying, unlike most other birds of prey. This practice conserves energy and allows them to hunt almost continuously. While these kites are not listed as endangered, they are rare and in some states are listed as critical. Loss of habitat is the main reason for the decline. If you are lucky enough to see one, count yourself among the few. These magnificent birds are a sight you won't soon forget.

How does the author develop the idea that kites are skillful fliers?

Explanation:

As a rule, raptors, or birds of prey, are among the most admired and adored birds in the world. From the California condor to the snowy owl, few birds compare to the tigers of the air: the great hunters whose beauty and skill have inspired art and literature for centuries. The most glorious feathers of the peacock or the vibrant plumage of a bunting cannot compete with the power of a peregrine falcon or the determination of an osprey. Included in this group of hunters, however, is one bird of prey that is little known but equally impressive. The kites of the world are generally smaller than most raptors, but just as astonishing in skill and grace as any other hunter of the skies.

Most people think of paper or cloth structures flown with string from the ground when the word 'kite' is used. In addition to these popular toys, kite can also refer to a type of raptor. Kites have a small head, a short beak and long narrow wings and tail. Kites can be found all over the world in mostly warm regions. Kites live on a variety of prey—from insects to small rodents or reptiles. Some kites eat only one kind of prey. Kites are generally masterful in the air and represent a group of birds that are among the most acrobatic of fliers.

Two of the most familiar kites in the Southern United States are the swallow-tailed kite and the Mississippi kite. The Mississippi kite is rather plain to look at: a light brown and gray body with a buff or white colored head. But to watch a Mississippi kite fly is to watch a ballet in the air. These raptors eat primarily flying insects, so they do most of their hunting on the wing. As you might imagine, catching flying insects requires a great deal of agility and speed. If you are lucky enough to see one in flight, you will be amazed at the quick turns, graceful moves, and speedy pursuits of this bird. Look for them above large fields, especially during the summer.

The swallow-tailed kite, also common in the South, is more easily identifiable and often seen flying over roads. With black wings and tail, white head and body, and a forked or swallow-like tail, this raptor is just as acrobatic as the Mississippi kite. Swallow-tailed kites like flying over highways in the summer as they can take advantage of the thermals, or columns of warmed air, that rise above the pavement. Once they have climbed to sufficient height, swallow-tails will glide, looking for snakes and reptiles and insects. They also eat small rodents, frogs, and other birds on occasion. Watching a swallow-tail fly is a lot like watching a gymnast perform a floor routine. Rarely flapping its wings, it uses its forked tail to make sharp turns, trace circles in the sky, or simply maintain a heading. Skilled, accomplished, and graceful, this bird is as entertaining as it is beautiful.

Both kites are known to eat while flying, unlike most other birds of prey. This practice conserves energy and allows them to hunt almost continuously. While these kites are not listed as endangered, they are rare and in some states are listed as critical. Loss of habitat is the main reason for the decline. If you are lucky enough to see one, count yourself among the few. These magnificent birds are a sight you won't soon forget.

How does the author develop the idea that kites are skillful fliers?

Explanation:

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by: nita twenty thousand leagues under the sea some time ago, i decided to read twenty thousand leagues under the sea, by jules verne. i figured that because it was so well known it must be an extremely interesting book. in addition, it was science fiction, the one area that i was always interested. my assumption was only partially correct, for i only was to a degree interested in the piece of writing. when jules verne was writing this book, he must have been reading some incredibly dull science book the day before, for that was what the book was written as.  

the style of writing was utterly against my tastes, and though the plot was moderately interesting, the style of writing really ruined it. often, the author will trail off describing some marine animal for pages at a time. two entire chapters were almost entirely this! however, the setting and characters of the story seemed to be well thought out. nevertheless, 20,000 leagues under the sea was an extremely tedious volume. when the story was introduced, jules verne described m. aronnax, the main character, whose love for marine biology was more important than anything else to him did.  

this immediately led to the international crisis about a bizarre aquatic creature, which immediately dragged m. aronnax into the action. due to his expertise on the matter, the public expected pierre to be the one to solve this mystery. m. aronnax, under all this pressure, concluded that the animal was to be called the narwhale. at first, the matter was taken lightly, and only expert scientists were involved. however, when this animal began to become a threat to all ships in the water, the military took the issue into its own hands.  

it promptly fitted a frigate, the abraham lincoln, to destroy the beast, and invited pierre to join them, for his science capabilities. for many months they searched, but could not find this narwhale anywhere. when they found it, it attacked the ship, disabling it, and sending m. aronnax, ned land (a harpooner) and conseil (servant of pierre) overboard. soon, the three were guests in the narwhale, now known to be a ship, the nautilus, commanded by captain nemo. during the stay aboard the nautilus, pierre conseil and ned encounter and discover many wonderful and interesting facts from the sea. often, they would accompany the captain in an under water expedition.  

several of these excursions were to hunt, and others were simply to explore a submarine region. one of the times when the purpose was just to investigate an underwater region, captain nemo and m. aronnax explored the lost city of atlantis. on a separate occasion, pierre found that there was a supply of coal underwater that the nautilus used as a source of fuel. in addition to underwater excursions, the nautilus itself was on a round the world journey, which accounted for the most exiting time of the book. this was when captain nemo was attempting to access the south pole.  

that meant passing the great ice barrier, and surviving with very little air. during this rather long voyage, the submarine gets wedged between two icebergs, and is almost crushed! to add to this, the inhabitants of the nautilus almost die of suffocation from the lack of air. finally, at the end of the book, the three friends narrowly escape that nautilus.  

this all occurs during the maelstrom, which is a deadly storm, which makes the escape so daring. at the end, the three friends end up in a fisherman's shack, not knowing how they arrived, for they were knocked unconscious. that is how the events in the story twenty thousand leagues under the sea took place. the main character in this book was an extremely well recognized marine biologist named m. pierre aronnax. m. aronnax is one who gets the most benefit throughout the course of the book. pierre was always curious, which often got in the way of following his instincts and good judgment.  

also, he sometimes talked to himself! in addition, his faithful servant, conseil, follows his master during all of his adventures. conseil never really said much, and the role he played was one of a calm and humble person. another character of importance was ned land, the most well known harpooner of all his time. this man proved himself to be very useful when the threesome attempt to escape the nautilus. on the other hand, ned land was always quick tempered, and free willed.  

these qualities almost got many people killed many times during the book. the next most important character and perhaps the most outlandish one of all was captain nemo. note that this was not his real name, however, the actual name was never given in the book. captain nemo was forever strict and secretive to everyone. he never showed any emotion on his face, and never showed any bodily expressions in any way except when he was in extreme anguish. the setting that the story took place in was quite interesting.  

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