It was introduced by the French zoologist Jules-César Savigny in 1809 with the black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus) as the type species.

[4] These are white and grey raptors of open country, with black wing markings and a short square tail.

They hunt by slowly quartering over mainly savanna habitat for rodents and other small mammals, birds and insects, sometimes hovering like a kestrel.

The primaries and secondaries have soft barbules from the upper surface that help in owl-like silent flight.

[5][6] The genus contains four species, all of which hunt small mammals, especially rodents, by hovering in the air while looking for them in over open savanna habitats.