Black Kite : King of Indian Sky

kamalparu
Jul 31
2 min read

Updated: Aug 1

Black Kite : King of Indian Sky

Black Kite

***Magnificent Dotted Wings (in Flight)***

· We might have seen group of predator birds encircling / hovering in the sky effortlessly and keeping an eye on the prey moving on the ground below. While seeing these flying birds above in the sky, we might have not got the close view of these birds. Recently we got opportunity to click some close pics of these majestic bird of prey commonly known as ‘Black Kite’ which is sighted across Indian sky throughout the year.

· A widespread resident bird, it is found abundantly in India. They are apt flyer and keep soaring & gliding for long duration.

· During sighting, we have observed their unique behaviour and group activity. While flying in a small group, they engage in chase and snatch game. One member picks up some twigs or leaves / piece of cloth or paper and fly away. Other members chase him and try to snatch away the piece of twigs from his beak. If it drops in the air, some member try to pick it up in the midair. In this way they keep on playing for fun in a group.

Salient Features of Black Kite :

· A medium–sized bird, they are having dark rufous-brown plumage with variable whitish crescent at primary bases on underwing. The lower parts of body are pale brown. The front part of beak is black and back portion is yellowish. The legs are yellow and claws are black. They have powerful beaks and claws which help them in catching their prey easily. While fully stretched, their wingspan spreads about 150cm which make them ace flyer.

· Juvenile bird has broad whitish or buff streaking on the head and plumages.

· Their tails are forked and barred with darker brown.

· They are highly vocal .Their calls include a musical whistling sound like ‘ewe - wir - r - r - r - r’ or ‘si - si - si - si - psee - err…’.

· They are mainly sighted near human habitation like villages, towns, open fields and near hills.

· They swoop on the prey at ground very swiftly and catch them instantly. They feed mainly on rodents, lizards, insects, grasshoppers etc. They are also scavenger birds.

· Its scientific name is ‘Milvus Migrans’ and belongs to ‘Accipitridae’ family.