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Milvus migrans (Black
kite)
[= Milvus (migrans) migrans]
Geelbekwou, Swartwou [Afrikaans]; Zwarte wouw [Dutch];
Milan d'Afrique [French]; Schmarotzermilan [German]; Milhafre-preto
[Portuguese]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) > Order: Falconiformes
> Family: Accipitridae
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Black kite (part of a large migratory flock), near
Ciudad Real, Spain. [photo
Mike Grimes ©] |
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Distribution and habitat
It breeds across much of Eurasia, heading south in the
non-breeding season to Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to
Ethiopia south to southern Africa. Here it can be found in patches of Namibia
(including the Caprivi Strip) and South Africa, especially in KwaZulu-Natal,
generally preferring woodland habitats.
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Distribution of Black kite in southern Africa,
based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas
Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common).
See here for the latest distribution
from the SABAP2. |
Movements and migrations
Palearctic breeding migrant, arriving in southern Africa at
the start of the rains from October-November and leaving just before the end of
the rainy season, in March.
Food
It eats a wide variety of animals, searching for prey
aerially while using its tail to steer accurately. Once it spots something it
rapidly swoops to the ground to catch the prey item; it also keeps on eye out
for carcass to scavenge. The Black kite and the
Yellow-billed kite can be grouped as one species, so the following list of
food items in its diet applies for both of them:
- Live prey
- birds
- rodents (Rodentia)
- lizards
- Monopeltis capensis (Cape spade-snouted worm lizard)
- frogs
- Pyxicephalus adspersus (Bullfrog)
- Ptychadena supercilliaris (Savanna ridged frog)
- fish (caught in shallow water)
- molluscs
- crustaceans
- insects
- Scavenged animals
Threats
Not threatened.
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
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