There are no known adverse effects of Milvus migrans on humans.
Black kites are natural predators of each other; they tend to steal eggs from other kites' nests. Another predominant predator of the black kites is humans, though most of the time it is not intentional. This usually occurs when humans encroach on black kite habitats or when black kites go to densely human populated areas in order to search for food. When either of these happens, there is the chance for the birds to have accidents with vehicles, or eat things that might be poisonous to them.
The overall brown coloring of black kites may help in blending into trees to avoid predators. Their loud, high pitched screams also are likely to scare away potential predators.
Known Predators:
Black kites are medium-sized raptors, weighing 560 g on average. Body length ranges from 47 to 60 cm, with an average wingspan of 140 to 150 cm. Their dorsal coloration is mostly brown, which fades to a darker brown towards the tips of the wings and tail. The ventral color is mostly brown, but with a lighter brown to nearly rust color markings dispersed throughout. These markings are especially evident along the ventral body surface. The head of black kites is lighter in color (typically a faint brown or grey).
Black kites have small, bead-like dark brown eyes and a large black, hook-shaped beak for tearing flesh and consuming their prey. The outer edge of their wings appears to be "fingered" (a space between each feather gives the appearance of fingers). In addition, this species is recognized for its yellow cere, the skin located on the top of the beak near the nostrils. Black kites are often called "fork-tailed kites" because of the distinct shape of their tails. Their tail feathers are split, forming a v-shape; hence the name “fork-tailed”. Tail coloration is mostly brown, with darker brown striped feathers within. Black kites have long black talons and pale yellow legs. Their sharp talons are very effective for catching and holding prey. Black kites exhibit slight sexual dimorphism in that females have a slightly larger body size than males, through they feature similar coloration. Juveniles are generally lighter in color and have shorter forked tails than adult black kites.
The genus Milvus includes red kites (Milvus milvus), yellow-billed kites (Milvus aegyptius), and Cape Verde kites (Milvus milvus fasciicauda). Black kites often are confused with closely related yellow-billed kites, because of their similar appearance. The main difference between these two species is that yellow-billed kites have yellow bills, whereas black kites have black bills. Red kites are also similar in appearance to black kites because of their yellow legs and brown coloring.
Average mass: 540 g.
Range length: 47 to 60 cm.
Average length: 55 cm.
Average wingspan: 140 to 150 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; female larger
In the wild, black kites have been recorded to live up to 24 years. Expected lifespan of black kites averages 22 years. There are no known captive records, but their closest relative, Milvus milvus, has a known lifespan in captivity of up to 26 years.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 24 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 22 years.
Black kites inhabit a broad range of habitats. Most are found in open areas where there is close access to water bodies such as rivers, ponds, or lakes. Black kites are commonly found along river edges, which provide necessary resources such as fresh water and fish. Wetlands are another habitat that attracts black kites. Black kites also occur in woodlands, open savannas, and sometimes even in large cities. It has been suggested that they reside in African and Asian cities because there is high prey abundance, such as roadkill or rats.
Most black kites migrate to Africa during the winter, settling near the southern Sahara region. Black kites are rarely seen in natural desert habitats or high elevation mountainous areas. In addition, although black kites are attracted to various woodland habitats, they rarely inhabit dense forests.
Black kite nests tend to be located 8 to 15 m above ground, in forests with close proximity to water or in areas with little tree cover. Black kites prefer mid-canopy parts of trees, but have been seen as high as 30 m. Occasionally, black kites nests will be located near nests of the closely related red kite (Milvus milvus).
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; coastal
Wetlands: marsh
Other Habitat Features: urban ; agricultural ; riparian ; estuarine
Black kites (Milvus migrans) occur in tropical portions of Australasia, Eurasia, and Africa. However, they are lacking in the Indonesian Archipelago, specifically in areas between the Wallace line and the mainland of Southeast Asia. Black kites also occur in temperate areas, including Palearctic, Oriental, Ethiopian, and Australian regions. However, year-round, they reside mainly in the southern-most areas of tropical Oriental and Ethiopian regions. Their abundance in these areas has been associated with the abundance of resources. There are no known regions in which this species has been introduced.
Their Palearctic range, spanning from the west coast of Central Europe to the east coast of Asia, is occupied only during early summer (late March to early May) and is mainly for breeding. The Australian region is used only during winters (December through February). Black kites migrate depending on the availability of roosting sites and resources.
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native ); ethiopian (Native ); australian (Native )
Black kites have broad, carnivorous diets and feed on many different animal species. They are considered insectivores, piscivores, and scavengers. Black kites will hunt for food, but more often act as scavengers. They will steal eggs from other kites for food and scavenge dead carcasses left behind from other animals. Black kites also are known to hover over fires to catch insects. Their diet also includes a variety of fish, reptiles, amphibians and other small mammals and birds.
Black kites will catch and eat their prey by using their sharp talons to dig into and pull apart the prey both in aerial and ground attacks. They also often rely on the thermal air currents to aid in their attempt to locate food.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles; fish; eggs; carrion ; insects
Primary Diet: carnivore (Scavenger )
Black kites play an essential role as efficient scavengers within their ecosystems. A variety of external parasites are found on black kites, as well as several species of endoparasitic trematodes such as Opisthorchis cheelis and some parasitic flatworms like Holostephanus metorchis. These are typically ingested during the consumption of fish.
Ecosystem Impact: biodegradation
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Although there are no known benefits of black kites to humans, red kites, their closest known relative, consume many crop-destroying pests. In addition, they scavenge road-kill, which potentially may help to reduce the spread of disease.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' (IUCN) Red List, Milvus migrans is given the conservation status of "Least Concern," showing no near possible threats to the species. This is due to the fact that the species covers many different areas and has such a large population within the areas. Though some populations are declining in numbers, the numbers are not significant to decrease the population as a whole. Causes of local population declines include water pollution, agricultural pesticides and associated runoff, hunting by humans, and carcass poisoning.
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Black kites have well developed intraspecific communication, vocalizing very loudly and often with other black kites. Their screech starts out as a long drawn "kleee-errr" sound, then transitions into a sharper "keee-keee-keee" call. They communicate using high pitches for a variety of different situations, such as breeding, at roosting sites, or even during group hunting. Black kites use these calls during pre- and post-breeding to communicate with mates. The calls of black kites are similar to those of red kites (Milvus milvus). Black kites even appear to be able to communicate with red kites in captivity. Sight is well-developed, allowing them to see prey at great distances.
During the breeding season, pairs will occasionally engage in physical displays of talon locking where the two birds grasp talons and spiral to the ground from great heights.
Like most birds, black kites perceive their environments through visual, auditory, tactile and chemical stimuli.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Black kites are believed to be monogamous, having a single mate at a time and may even pair for life, although there has been some debate. Black kites have a ritualized aerial courtship, which consists of extremely loud calls to one another. In addition, they perform a dangerous display known as grappling, where they lock their feet together in mid-air and begin to spiral towards the ground. Ritual courtship behaviors typically begin in March.
Mating System: monogamous
Black kites breed seasonally between the months of March and August, though this period varies slightly with geographic location. Nest construction follows pair-formation in March, and egg laying occurs between April and May. Black kites reach maturity between 2 and 3 years of age. Nests are located at heights of 2 to 30 m and tend to be built in open forest. Black kites position their nest near the trunk of the tree. Nests also have been found on cliff edges and even on electricity pylons. Occasionally, black kites will build their nests relatively close to other black kite pairs. Nests have also been known to be placed near other species of birds, including grey heron (Ardea cinerea) and cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) rookeries. New nests usually are built each year, but sometimes they will occupy old nests built or abandoned by other black kites or other species. Nests consist of mainly bulky sticks, arranged in layers, many different kinds of soft materials, such as paper, feathers, plastic, feces or almost any other materials they can find.
Black kites on average lay 2 to 3 eggs each year. Occasionally they will lay as few as one or as many as five. Eggs are typically off-white in color, decorated with brown, freckled spots. Incubation averages 32 days. After hatching, the young stay in the nest with the parents for 42 to 56 days. On average, fledged young are protected and cared for by both parents for an additional 15 to 56 days, or until the young are self-reliant.
Breeding interval: Black Kites breed once yearly
Breeding season: The breeding season occurs from March until August
Range eggs per season: 1 to 5.
Average eggs per season: 2 to 3.
Range time to hatching: 28 to 32 days.
Average time to hatching: 32 days.
Range fledging age: 42 to 56 days.
Range time to independence: 15 to 56 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 to 3 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 to 3 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
Both the male and female assist in the nest building process. Black kites are very territorial and are constantly alert for potential predators that might harm their young or themselves. Female black kites invest their time in incubating eggs, while males are responsible for providing food to the female and their offspring. Once the fledging stage begins, both parents are responsible for care of the young, which can continue for several months.
Parental Investment: altricial ; male parental care ; female parental care ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)
The black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations.[2] Current global population estimates run up to 6 million individuals.[1]
Unlike others of the group, black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend much time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify. They are also vociferous with a shrill whinnying call.
The black kite is widely distributed through the temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia and parts of Australasia and Oceania, with the temperate region populations tending to be migratory. Several subspecies are recognized and formerly had their own English names. The European populations are small, but the South Asian population is very large.
The black kite was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux in 1770.[3] The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text.[4] Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Falco migrans in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées.[5] The type locality is France.[6] The current genus Milvus was erected by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799.[7] Milvus is the Latin word for a red kite; the specific migrans means "migrating" from the Latin migrare "to migrate".[8]
The red kite has been known to hybridize with the black kite (in captivity where both species were kept together, and in the wild on the Cape Verde Islands).[9]
Recent DNA studies suggest that the yellow-billed African races parasitus and aegyptius differ significantly from black kites in the Eurasian clade, and should be considered a separate allopatric species: yellow-billed kite, M. aegyptius.[10] They occur throughout Africa except for the Congo Basin and the Sahara Desert. There have been some suggestions that the black-eared kite (M. m. lineatus) should be elevated to full species status as M. lineatus, but this is not well supported.[11]
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M. m. migrans, Spain
M. m. lineatus, Japan
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M. m. govinda, India
M. m. affinis, Australia
Md Abdur Rahman Rana, Bangladesh
Black kites can be distinguished from red kites by the slightly smaller size, less forked tail (visible in flight), and generally dark plumage without any rufous. The sexes are alike though the male is a little smaller and less aggressive (this is the case in most birds of prey). They weigh in average 735 grams.[14] The upper plumage is brown but the head and neck tend to be paler. The patch behind the eye appears darker. The outer flight feathers are black and the feathers have dark cross bars and are mottled at the base. The lower parts of the body are pale brown, becoming lighter towards the chin. The body feathers have dark shafts giving it a streaked appearance. The cere and gape are yellow, but the bill is black (unlike that of the yellow-billed kite). The legs are yellow and the claws are black. They have a distinctive shrill whistle followed by a rapid whinnying call. Males and females have the same plumage but females are longer than male and have a little larger wingspan. Their wingspan is around 150 cm.[15]
The species is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The temperate populations of this kite tend to be migratory while the tropical ones are resident. European and central Asian birds (subspecies M. m. migrans and black-eared kite M. m. lineatus, respectively) are migratory, moving to the tropics in winter, but races in warmer regions such as the Indian M. m. govinda (small Indian/pariah kite), or the Australasian M. m. affinis (fork-tailed kite), are resident. In some areas such as in the United Kingdom, the black kite occurs only as a wanderer on migration. These birds are usually of the nominate race, but in November 2006 a juvenile of the eastern lineatus, not previously recorded in western Europe, was found in Lincolnshire.[16]
The species is not found in the Indonesian archipelago between the South East Asian mainland and the Wallace Line.[17] Vagrants, most likely of the black-eared kite, on occasion range far into the Pacific, out to the Hawaiian islands.[18][19]
In India, the population of M. m. govinda is particularly large especially in areas of high human population. Here the birds avoid heavily forested regions. A survey in 1967 in the 150 square kilometres of the city of New Delhi produced an estimate of about 2200 pairs or roughly 15 per square kilometre.[15][20] Another survey in 2013 estimated 150 pairs for every 10 square kilometres.[21]
Vagrants from Australia occasionally reach New Zealand, however, only one individual has persisted there (currently ~21 years old).[22]
Black kites are most often seen gliding and soaring on thermals as they search for food. Their flight is buoyant and the bird glides effortlessly, changing directions easily. They will swoop down with their legs lowered to snatch small live prey, fish, household refuse and carrion, for which behaviour they are known in British military slang as the shite-hawk. They are opportunist hunters and have been known to take birds, bats,[23] and rodents.[24] They are attracted to smoke and fires, where they seek escaping prey.[25] Kites are also known to spread fires by picking and dropping burning twigs so as to flush prey,[26][27] leading to them being known in some circles as "firehawks".[28] The Indian populations are well adapted to living in cities and are found in densely populated areas. Large numbers may be seen soaring in thermals over cities. In some places, they will readily swoop and snatch food held by humans.[15][29] In Delhi, where Black Kites breed within the cities, religious offerings of meat to the Kites are common among those who practice Islam. The meat is thrown into the air and the Kites dive-bomb for the meat. Humans who are in the vicinity may suffer serious injury due to the sharp claws and talons of the Kites. The reinforcement between human proximity and being fed have decreased the Kite's fear of humans. [30] Black kites in Spain prey on nestling waterfowl especially during summer to feed their young. Predation of nests of other pairs of black kites has also been noted.[31] Kites have also been seen to tear and carry away the nests of baya weavers in an attempt to obtain eggs or chicks.[32]
In winter, kites form large communal roosts. Flocks may fly about before settling at the roost.[29] When migrating, the black kite has a greater propensity to form large flocks than other migratory raptors, particularly prior to making a crossing across water.[33] In India, the subspecies govinda shows large seasonal fluctuations with the highest numbers seen from July to October, after the monsoons, and it has been suggested that they make local movements in response to high rainfall.[34]
The breeding season of the black kite in India begins in winter (mainly January and February[35]), the young birds fledging before the monsoons. The nest is a rough platform of twigs and sticks placed in a tree. Nest sites may be reused in subsequent years. European birds breed in summer. Birds in the Italian Alps tended to build their nest close to water in steep cliffs or tall trees.[36] Nest orientation may be related to wind and rainfall.[37] The nests may sometimes be decorated with bright materials such as white plastic and a study in Spain suggests that they may have a role in signalling to keep away other kites.[38]
After pairing, the male frequently copulates with the female. Unguarded females may be approached by other males, and extra pair copulations are frequent. Males returning from a foraging trip will frequently copulate on return, as this increases the chances of his sperm fertilizing the eggs rather than a different male.[39] Both the male and female take part in nest building, incubation and care of chicks.
The typical clutch size is 2 or sometimes 3 eggs.[29][40] The incubation period varies from 30 to 34 days. Chicks of the Indian population stay at the nest for nearly two months.[35] Chicks hatched later in European populations appear to fledge faster. The care of young by the parents also rapidly decreased with the need for adults to migrate.[41][42] Siblings show aggression to each other and often the weaker chick may be killed, but parent birds were found to preferentially feed the smaller chicks in experimentally altered nests.[43]
Newly hatched young have down (prepennae) which are sepia on the back and black around the eye and buff on the head, neck and underparts. This is replaced by brownish-gray second down (preplumulae). After 9–12 days, the second down appears on the whole body except the top of the head. Body feathers begin to appear after 18 to 22 days. The feathers on the head become noticeable from the 24th to 29th day. The nestlings initially feed on food fallen at the bottom of the nest and begin to tear flesh after 33–39 days. They are able to stand on their legs after 17–19 days and begin flapping their wings after 27–31 days. After 50 days, they begin to move to branches next to the nest.[44][45] Birds are able to breed after their second year.[35] Parent birds guard their nest and will dive aggressively at intruders. Humans who intrude the nest appear to be recognized by birds and singled out for dive attacks.[46]
Black-eared kites in Japan were found to accumulate nearly 70% of mercury accumulated from polluted food in the feathers, thus excreting it in the moult process.[47] Black kites often perch on electric wires and are frequent victims of electrocution.[48][49] Their habit of swooping to pick up dead rodents or other roadkill leads to collisions with vehicles.[50] Instances of mass poisoning as a result of feeding on poisoned voles in agricultural fields have been noted.[51] They are also a major nuisance at some airports, where their size makes them a significant birdstrike hazard.[52]
As a large raptorial bird, the black kite has few natural predators. However, they do have a single serious predator: the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo). The eagle-owl freely picks off kites of any age and were noted to precipitously decrease kite breeding success when nesting within kilometres of the kites in the Italian Alps.[53] Like most bird species, they have parasites, several species of endoparasitic trematodes are known[54] and some Digenea species that are transmitted via fishes.[55][56][57]
Birds with abnormal development of a secondary upper mandible have been recorded in govinda[58] and lineatus.[59]
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Black kite in Hanoi Zoo The black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations. Current global population estimates run up to 6 million individuals.
Unlike others of the group, black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend much time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify. They are also vociferous with a shrill whinnying call.
The black kite is widely distributed through the temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia and parts of Australasia and Oceania, with the temperate region populations tending to be migratory. Several subspecies are recognized and formerly had their own English names. The European populations are small, but the South Asian population is very large.
