Black Kite Milvus migrans
Black Kite, Mildura, Victoria, Australia, March 2006 - click for larger image Australia

The Black Kite is distributed across a large part of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia but is missing from the Americas. According to Ferguson-Lees it is "probably [the] commonest raptor in world terms".

In Australia, it breeds mainly in north and eastern inland areas though it migrates throughout most of the mainland and can appear in large eruptions whenever there is a plague of rats, mice, grasshoppers or caterpillars. They are also scavengers and are found near human habitation.

Black Kite, Mildura, Victoria, Australia, March 2006 - click for larger image It often looks dark but in good light the body and underwing coverts are brown while the wings and tail are faintly barred. There are pale patches at the base of the primaries. Note that while the tail usually looks forked, when soaring it can look squarish as in photo 3.

Photos 2 to 4 are of juvenile plumages showing more streaks and fawn spotting including on the underwing linings.

Black Kite, Mildura, Victoria, Australia, February 2006 - click for larger image Photos 1 to 4 were taken at Mildura, Victoria while photos 5 and 6 were taken (on a duller day!) at Mareeba, Queensland.

There is more information available via Avibase.

Juvenile Black Kite, Mildura, Victoria, Australia, March 2006 - click for larger image
Black Kite, Mareeba, Queensland, Australia, November 2010 - click for larger image
Black Kite, Mareeba, Queensland, Australia, November 2010 - click for larger image
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