Black Kite: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Joshua S. Martin · CC0 · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Milvus migrans
- Family
- Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Size
- About 55 cm
- Habitat
- Wooded river valleys and wetlands
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania
The key marks
Darker brown, with a shallow-forked tail and no white patches under the wings. Red Kite is rustier, with a deeply forked tail.
Voice
A quavering, whinnying 'pi-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti'.
Good to know
It scavenges at rubbish tips and also hunts fish.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Red Kite. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in wooded river valleys and wetlands. It is especially common in Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Japan and India. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.