Identification

48-55cm. The Black Kite is a medium-sized raptor, with slightly forked tail. Distinguished from Red Kite by dark plumage, slightly smaller size, proportionately shorter wings and tail, broader wing-tip and less forked tail, which is grey-brown above, never rufous. Dark brown with paler bases to primaries below. Upperparts dark brown with pale mid-brown panel across inner wing (same pattern as on Red Kite but darker and duller). If tail-fork not seen (or fork missing through moult, wear, or fanning of tail), possible to confuse with dark-morph Booted Eagle, but latter has light uppertail-coverts, usually white patch at base of forewing and somewhat larger head. Marsh Harrier in dark plumage separated by much less ‘fingered’ wing-tips, lack of pale primary bases below, and by head-on silhouette with raised ‘arm’ and flatter ‘hand’, not arched wings with lowered primaries.

Description

Typical breeder in small numbers in gallery forests located mainly along large rivers (the Danube, Tisza, Dráva, Maros and Körös Rivers) and the fishponds in southern Transdanubia. A few pairs can be also establish sporadically in wooded areas in the puszta and forests in the vicinity of wetlands at medium and high elevations. Migrant. Stays in Hungary between mid-March and mid-October, but has occurred in November and occasionally overwinters.