Elanus is a genus of bird of prey in the Elaninae subfamily. The first three species above were considered conspecific as subspecies of Elanus caeruleus, which has been known as the black-shouldered kite. These are white and grey raptors of open country, with black wing 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.