Black – winged Kite : A Smart & Beautiful Raptor
Updated: Aug 1, 2022
Black - winged Kite
On a pleasant day during morning walk at Kanpur Cantonment, we found a white complexion bird hovering overhead very actively. Suddenly it dropped vertically in grass and after catching its prey flew away in sky. This unprecedented scene drew our attention and we started following this interesting bird with our camera. On viewing amazing snaps we found it as a smart and beautiful bird of prey popularly known as ‘Black–winged Kite’ or ‘Black-shouldered Kite’. Its scientific name is ‘Elanus caeruleus’ and belongs to ‘Accipitridae’ family.
Black-winged kite View of wings longer than tail concentrating on prey Looking into camera lens Doing Yoga Performing yoga About to take-off About to take- off Dancing to the tune of Nature Hiding behind leaves In search of food Looking into lens Full alert before action Targeting prey Observing ground for food Viewing far area for prey Getting photographed in style
Various action & mood of Black - winged Kite
Special features of “Black-winged Kite”
· It is a very beautiful bird having white belly, grey wings and distinctive black patch on shoulders.
· It has large forward facing eyes with red iris which resemble with owls. It has striking black stripe around eyes.
· Although it is small in size (30 to 35 cm in length), it has long wing-span (75 to 90 cm) which helps it in movement to far areas in search of prey.
· The most fascinating feature of this bird is its unique ability to hover above any point and to drop vertically on its prey at ground completely surprising the target. During flight its wings spread long with display of beautiful black patch.
view the long wing span Gliding position Fly fully stretched wings Gliding over trees Targeting Black Drongo Flying over tree About to catch Black Drongo Black Drongo ducking down Splendid flight manoeuvring Fully stretched beautiful wing Flying overhead Flying with full energy Marvelous wing glowing in sun Observing prey on the ground Vertical drop on ground Hovering over the prey Vertical drop over prey Displaying powerful wings Apt and agile flier
Black - winged Kite in Flight
· They hunt mainly in open ground, grassland, scattered trees and scrub. Their powerful toes help in catching prey. They feed on rodents, shrews, bats, small birds, grasshoppers, crickets and insects.
· They make weak whistling calls during flight and while hovering.
Video of Hovering action of Black - winged Kite
All these features make Black-winged Kite a smart and beautiful bird of prey.
It is our endeavour to pictorially present beautiful view of this fascinating bird which you may find very interesting.
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