Kite
“Crier (from its cry), or possibly soarer”
Summary
A bird of prey listed among the unclean animals forbidden as food under the Mosaic law, notable for its keen eyesight and soaring flight patterns.
☩Identification
The kite (Hebrew ayyah) was a bird of prey classified as unclean and forbidden as food to the Israelites. The identification has been debated, with some scholars suggesting the term may refer generally to hawks or falcons, while others specifically identify it with the red kite (Milvus regalis), which is still common throughout Palestine. The bird is characterized by its remarkable eyesight, its habit of soaring in circles using its forked tail as a rudder, and its piercing cry from which the Hebrew name may derive. The kite feeds on mice, moles, reptiles, small birds, and fish, as well as carrion. Its exceptional vision is referenced in Job 28:7, where the deep mine paths are described as places "which no bird of prey knoweth, neither hath the kite's eye seen it."
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Kite," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Kite," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Kite," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Kite," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 5.George Morrish, "Kite," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).