Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783)

The most common species of acciptrid in the world, they have a dark plumage with a distinctive forked tail, yellow cere, gape and legs with black claws. They are often seen soaring in thermals especially over cities, to which they are well adapted.

Milvus migrans, commonly called Black Kite, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Distributed through the temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia and parts of Australasia and Oceania, it is probably the world's most abundant bird of prey.

A very well-known bird of prey, found in all areas of human habitation. It is dark rufous-brown with a variable white crescent on the underside of the wings. It has a shallow tail-fork. It is usually seen alone or in small groups flying low over towns and villages, usually seeking food. In flight it is very manoeuvrable, frequently arching the wings and twisting its tail. It can also be seen in the early hours or at dusk rising up above the Hill on the thermals. It can soar very high and will often be heard calling as it soars upwards. It feeds on almost anything: offal and waste, earthworms, insects, lizards, mice, young birds, and will scavenge rubbish dumps. Groups of crows will frequently bully individual kites and steal food from them. The call is a shrill, musical whistling ewe-wir-wir-wir. Kites have communal roosts, often in trees near habitation.

(a) Milvus migrans migrans (Boddaert, 1783), European Black Kite. NW Africa and Europe E to C Asia (Tien Shan) and S to Pakistan; winters S to Africa S of Sahara. Head is whitish. (b) Milvus migrans lineatus (J. E. Gray, 1831), Black-eared Kite - Siberia E to Amurland and Japan S to N India, N Burma and N China and Ryukyu Is; winters S to S Iraq, S India and SE Asia. Large pale carpal patch. (c) Milvus migrans formosanus Nagamichi Kuroda, 1920, Taiwan Kite - Taiwan and Hainan (S China). (d) Milvus migrans govinda Sykes, 1832, Small Indian Kite (formerly Pariah Kite) - E Pakistan E through India and Sri Lanka to Indochina and Malay Peninsula. Distinguished by their shallow forked tail. (e) Milvus migrans affinis Gould, 1838, Fork-tailed Kite - Sulawesi and possibly Lesser Sunda Is; E New Guinea and New Britain; N Australia S (in E) to Victoria. (f) Milvus migrans aegyptius (Gmelin, 1788) - Egypt, SW Arabia and coastal E Africa S to Kenya. (g) Milvus migrans parasitus (Daudin, 1800) - Africa S of Sahara, Cape Verde Is, Comoro Is and Madagascar.

The season is much prolonged, commencing in September and lasting till March or April. The nest is an untidy platform of twigs, iron wire, rags, tow and rubbish of every description. It is placed in the head of a cocoanut palm where available, otherwise in the forked branch of a large tree or on the roof or cornice of a building. The eggs- two to four in number are a dirty- or pinkish-white, more or less spotted and blotched with reddish-brown or blood red. Both sexes share in building the nest, incubation and feeding the young.

Breeding season: Winters in the Indian subcontinent. Mating displays: Limited. Could include high circling, slow flapping and diving. Sometimes a pair may interlock talons in mid-air. Nest location: Up in large tree, on roof or cornice of buildings. Nesting behaviour: Sometimes solitary, often in loose groups. Nest: An untidy stick platform with iron wire, lined with softer material like rags and rubbish. Sometimes may even be decorated with bright material like white plastic. Clutch size: 2-4. Eggs: Dirty pinkish white in colour with reddish brown spots. Incubation time: 30 days. Parental investment: Both sexes share responsibility of rearing young.

Full migrant. Subspecies Milvus migrans govinda resident in the Indian subcontinent. Subspecies Milvus migrans lineatusis a widespread winter visitor to the Indian subcontinent.

Smaller than the Vulture (about 24 inches).

Head-tail length: 55 - 60 cm. Weight: 650-940g.

A large brown raptor. distinguishable from all similar birds by its forked tail, particularly conspicuous in flight. Sexes alike.

A large brown hawk, adults have a pale head and neck, yellow cere and gape, bill black through most of its range except in Africa where it is yellow, dark-brown upperparts, pale brown lower body parts, white crescent at underwing primary bases, pale band across upperwing median coverts and black claws. Outer wing feathers streaked with dark cross bars and mottled at base. Feathers on the outer edge of wings open-fingered. Long, shallow-forked tail, particularly conspicuous in flight. Sexes alike. Females marginally larger in size. Juveniles slightly paler with a broad whitish or buffish streaks on head and underparts. M. m. lineatus larger than M. m. govinda with broader wings and generally more prominent whitish primary patch.

Milvus milvus, Milvus aegyptius.

This common and familiar bird is a confirmed commensal of Man, invariably keeping to the neighbourhood of his haunts whether in outlying village or populated town, and profiting by his concerns. It is usually seen perched on a rooftop, pole or tree, or sailing in circles overhead, eyes fixed on the ground for any scraps that can be lifted. It is one of our most useful scavengers. Large numbers are always present about slaughter houses, bazaars and refuse dumps, and about the docks in seaport towns. The ease, swiftness and grace with which a kite will swoop clown and carry off a dead rat or some similar tit-bit from a narrow, congested lane with all its din and traffic, twisting and turning masterfully to avoid the buildings and the tangle of overhead telephone and electric, wires, is a lesson in aeronautics and exhilarating to watch. The bird is thoroughly omnivorous and, in addition to the usual offal and garbage, will eat practically everything it can come by from earthworms on a freshly watered lawn or maidan, and winged termites emerging from the rain-sodden ground, to chickens robbed from the poultry yard. Indeed, the kite often becomes a serious menace to the poultry- keeper, especially when it has nest young to feed. Outside the breeding season the birds roost at night in large congregations in favourite clumps of trees, and much wrangling, hustling, flapping of wings and wheeling in the air usually precedes slumber. Its call note is a shrill, almost musical, whistle ewe-wir-wir-wir-wir uttered both from a perch and on the wing.

This greagrious species is seen feeding, roosting and migrating in small or large flocks. Very adroit on its wings, their flight is bouyant and shows a lot of manouverability. Birds swoop down with lowered legs to snatch prey, gliding with ease and changing directions easily. They are attracted to smoke and fires, where they prey on escaping animals.

Carnivore. Feeds on insects like earthworms and winged termites, reptiles like lizards, mammals like mice, young or disabled young birds, garbage and offal. Have also been observed to pillage and carry away Baya weaver nests to feed on its eggs and chicks.

Seen singly or gregariously, scavenging in towns and villages.

A. Global: Habitat systems: Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine. Forest Dependency: Low. Altitude: 0 - 4900 m. Altitudinal limits: 0 - 5300 m. General Habitats: Forest - Temperate, Subtropical/Tropical Dry, Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland; Savanna - Dry; Shrubland - Temperate, Subtropical/Tropical Dry, Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation; Grassland - Temperate, Subtropical/Tropical Dry; Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands; Desert - Hot; Marine Intertidal - Rocky Shoreline, Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc, Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches, Tidepools; Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands; Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land, Pastureland, Rural Gardens, Urban Areas. Breeding Habitats: Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) - Arable land, Pastureland, Rural gardens, Urban areas; Desert - Hot desert; Forest - Subtropical/tropical dry forest, Subtropical/tropical lowland moist forest, Temperate forest; Grassland - Subtropical/tropical (lowland) dry grassland, Temperate grassland; Marine coastal - Sea-cliffs and rocky offshore islands; Marine intertidal - Rocky shoreline, Sandy shoreline, sandbars, spits, Shingle/pebble shoreline, Tidepools; Savanna - Dry savanna; Shrubland - Mediterranean-type shrubland, Subtropical/tropical (lowland) dry shrubland, Temperate shrubland; Inland Wetlands - Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens, peatlands. B. Indian subcontinent: A commensal species, it is seen in the neighbourhood of human habitations, from populated cities to outlying hamlets. Also seen in mountains.

Not endemic

1,000,000 - 6,000,000 mature individuals (2009). A 1967 survey in New Delhi showed there were about 2,200 pairs of Black Kites in the 150 square kilometres of the city of New Delhi.

Unset

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern (ver 3.1) Year Published: 2010 Assessor/s: BirdLife International Reviewer/s: Calvert, R., Butchart, S., Bird, J.

May include water pollution, extensive use of pesticides in agriculture, hunting and carcass poisoning.

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) India Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Global Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II. AEWA (Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds) Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II. IWPA (Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972) Listed Species:No.