Taxonomy
The Letter-winged Kite was originally described by ornithologist John Gould in 1842. Its specific name is Latin scriptum meaning "written" or "marked". It is one of four species of small predominantly white-plumaged raptors in the genus Elanus. A taxonomic proposal based on DNA studies has recommended classifying these kites as a separate family (Elanidae). A 2004 molecular study of cytochrome-b DNA sequences shows them to have split off from typical hawks and eagles at an earlier date than the Osprey, which has been classically classified in its own family.
In Central Australia, southwest of Alice Springs, the Pitjantjatjara term for the Letter-winged Kite is nyanyitjira.
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