Kite

(Heb. ayyah), a rapacious and keen-sighted bird of prey belonging to the hawk family. The Hebrew word thus rendered occurs in three passages -- (Leviticus 11:14; 14:13; Job 28:7) In the two former it is translated "kite" in the Authorized Version, in the latter "vulture." It is enumerated among the twenty names of birds mentioned in (14:1) ... which were considered unclean by the Mosaic law and forbidden to be used as food by the Israelites.

Kite

The kite is mentioned but once or twice in the Bible. In Leviticus 11:13,14, it is named among the birds which the Israelites were not allowed to use for food. "And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination; the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, and the vulture, and the kite after its kind." These are all birds of prey, that is, they live by destroying other animals, and some of them are very fierce and cruel; I suppose this is one reason why they were not to be eaten.

The kite is a large bird, more than two feet long; and when its wings are spread it would take a string five feet and a half long to stretch from the tip of one across to the other. It does not fly very rapidly, but its motion in the air is very graceful and beautiful. On this account it has sometimes been called the Gled, or the gliding bird.

The kite is very much dreaded and disliked by those who have ducks and chickens, because it carries them off for food. It also eats frogs and moles: it is said that more than twenty of the latter have been found in one Kite's nest. It is a cowardly bird, and does not attack any animal that is strong enough to defend itself. Its nest is usually built between the forked branches of some tall tree in the thickest part of the forest; and if you could look into one of them in the spring, you would probably see three eggs, almost white, but a little tinged with blue.

Kite

A bird of prey, and therefore placed by Moses among the unclean birds, Le 11:14. See BIRDS.

KITE

kit ('ayyah; iktinos; Latin Milvus ictinus or regalis): A medium-sized member of the hawk tribe (see HAWK). This bird is 27 inches long, of bright reddish-brown color, has sharply pointed wings and deeply forked tail. It is supposed to have exceptionally piercing eyes. It takes moles, mice, young game birds, snakes and frogs, as well as carrion for food. Its head and facial expression are unusually eagle-like. It was common over Palestine in winter, but bred in the hills of Galilee and rough mountainous places, so it was less conspicuous in summer. It is among the lists of abominations (see Leviticus 11:14 and Deuteronomy 14:13). It is notable that this is the real bird intended by Job to be used as that whose eye could not trace the path to the silver mine:

"That path no bird of prey knoweth,

Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it" (Job 28:7).

The word used here in the original Hebrew is 'ayyah, which was the name for kite. Our first translators used "vulture"; our latest efforts give "falcon," a smaller bird of different markings, not having the kite's reputation for eyesight.

Gene Stratton-Porter

An unclean and keen-sighted bird of prey (Leviticus 11:14; Deuteronomy 14:13). The Hebrew word used, 'ayet, is rendered "vulture" in Job 28:7 in Authorized Version, "falcon" in Revised Version. It is probably the red kite (Milvus regalis), a bird of piercing sight and of soaring habits found all over Palestine.

1. (n.) Any raptorial bird of the subfamily Milvinae, of which many species are known. They have long wings, adapted for soaring, and usually a forked tail.

2. (n.) Fig. : One who is rapacious.

3. (n.) A light frame of wood or other material covered with paper or cloth, for flying in the air at the end of a string.

4. (n.) A lofty sail, carried only when the wind is light.

5. (n.) A quadrilateral, one of whose diagonals is an axis of symmetry.

6. (n.) Fictitious commercial paper used for raising money or to sustain credit, as a check which represents no deposit in bank, or a bill of exchange not sanctioned by sale of goods; an accommodation check or bill.

7. (n.) The brill.

8. (v. i.) To raise money by kites; as, kiting transactions. See Kite, 6.

9. (n.) The belly.

1676. daah -- perhaps kite (a bird of prey)
... << 1675, 1676. daah. 1677 >>. perhaps kite (a bird of prey). Transliteration:
daah Phonetic Spelling: (daw-aw') Short Definition: kite. ...
/hebrew/1676.htm - 6k

344. ayyah -- a hawk, falcon, kite
... << 343, 344. ayyah. 345 >>. a hawk, falcon, kite. Transliteration: ayyah Phonetic
Spelling: (ah-yaw') Short Definition: falcon. ... kite, vulture. ...
/hebrew/344.htm - 6k

1772. dayyah -- perhaps a kite (a bird of prey)
... << 1771, 1772. dayyah. 1773 >>. perhaps a kite (a bird of prey). Transliteration:
dayyah Phonetic Spelling: (dah-yaw') Short Definition: hawks. ...
/hebrew/1772.htm - 6k