adult

adult underwing European distribution flying

Identification

The Black Kite is more compact in shape than a Red Kite and is a duller, darker brown, lacking the red colours and the obvious white wing panels. Indeed, it is more likely to be mistaken for a female Marsh Harrier or a dark morph Booted Eagle but has more angular wings which it holds level or slightly drooping. Also, the tail of a kite always looks obviously pointed at its corners and the upperwing has distinctive pale panels across the coverts.

Habitat

Summer visitor to wooded valleys, feeding on farmland, watersides and rubbish tips.

Migration

European birds winter south of the Sahara in tropical Africa. Western birds migrate mainly through Gibraltar, whilst eastern birds pass through the Bosporus in Turkey and Sinai in Egypt.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Black Kite is classed as Scarce: broadly speaking, species that are covered in British Birds' annual review of scarce species (and forms of similar rarity).

Delhi, Haryana, India 03/01/2010	Pisticci, Matera, Basilicata, Italy 09/06/2010	Pisticci, Matera, Basilicata, Italy 09/06/2010	Le Parc Ornithologique du Teich, France, France 22/05/2010	Dalmally, Argyll 31/05/2010
Dalmally, Argyll 31/05/2010	Le Parc Ornithologique du Teich, France 20/05/2010	near Aswan Lower Dam, Egypt 11/10/2009	near Aswan Lower Dam, Egypt 11/10/2009	Skewjack, Cornwall 23/05/2010

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This species has been reported in the following areas (Bird News Extra subscribers can click a county name for more details):

Black Kite breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lichtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Moldova
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

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	Kite conundrums	Thursday 8th May 2008
	Detective work by Andrew Easton sheds light on some curious kites in East Anglia.

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