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6

Black Kite (Milvus migrans) Size: 50-55 cm (male), 55-60 cm (female); wing span 1.6-1.8 m Weight: 600-930 g

Oman: Family Group 6 Family Group 6 Table Egyptian Vulture Lappet-faced Vulture Bonelli's Eagle Osprey Pallid Harrier Black Kite Peregrine Falcon Common Kestrel Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Black Kites are medium-sized raptors with (near-black) dark-brown plumage. The body is dark-brown, except for a small grey patch under each eye, the wings and tail are even darker brown. When seen closely, one can distinguish some barring on the underside of the primary flight feathers. The bill is dark-grey with a yellow base and yellow gape, the legs and feet are also yellow. Juvenile Black Kites have lighter-brown colours. Twitcher's tip Black Kites use their tails very actively for various flight manoeuvres. In the process, the tail, which normally is slightly forked, can adopt various shapes, such as a pronounced fork, a "V", a squarish shape or like a wedge. This can make identification by the shape of the tail a bit tricky for beginners.

Taxonomy, classification See Black Kite at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Black Kite is available HERE . Black Kites are a species with a wide-ranging distribution. There are several races found on different continents, part of which are migratory and/or dispersive while others are sedentary. Nominate race "migrans" breed in much of Europe (but not along the coast from the Bretagne to the German Baltic Sea coast, the British Isles or Scandinavia; for details see a field guide) and farther East into Asia, as far as the northern tip of Pakistan. Southward their range extends through almost all of Turkey and into northern Iran and Afghanistan. There is also a breeding population on the north-western African coastal fringe and the Atlas Mountains. Black Kites from the northern breeding grounds will winter along the western Greek coastline, parts of the Middle East, in the Euphrates/Tigris river system and along parts of the Iranian coastline of the Persian Gulf. A large population winters in most of Africa South of the Sahara desert (except central western Africa) and on both sides of the southern Red Sea. Black Kites, race "affinis", are found in Australia, northern New Guinea and parts of the Indonesian archipelago. For information on the distributions of races "lineatus", "govinda" and "fomosanus" see a field guide or Wikipedia. In Oman Black Kites are usually seen as migrants, on their journey between Africa and Asia. Where to look? How to find this species? Black Kites are most easily found around rubbish tips. There, and elsewhere, if one sees large numbers of raptors circling together, many (if not all) of them tend to be Black Kites. They are the only species of predator that will flock together.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "migrans" We have not seen any Black Kites, race "migrans", in Oman yet. Race "affinis" We have spotted Black Kites, race "affinis", in Australia.

Photos

Race "migrans"

No photos from Oman available yet. Photos of Black Kites, race "migrans", were obtained in Europe.

Race "affinis"

No photos from Oman available yet. Photos of Black Kites, race "affinis", were obtained in Australia.

Food, Diet

All raptors are carnivores. Black Kites mainly feed on carrion. They are often found around rubbish tips.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

blkite_20140820.m4a	affinis (Darwin, NT)	Contact call	© MD
blkite_20140820_2.m4a	affinis (Darwin, NT)	Contact call (+ Whistling Kite)	© MD
blkite_20140820_3.m4a	affinis (Darwin, NT)	?	© MD
blkite_pb_20210730_2.m4a	affinis (Darwin, NT)	Territorial calls	© PB
blkite_pb_20210730.m4a	affinis (Darwin, NT)	Territorial calls (harassing juvenile Eastern Osprey)	© PB

More Black Kite sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sun, 25 November 2018, 5:51 +00:00