The Black Kite
The massive population of migratory Black-eared kites (Milvus migrans ssp. lineatus) wintering around the megacity of Delhi-India, makes for the largest raptor concentration of the world. The ring around the bird's feet is actually a device that helps scientists track where the bird's flying off to and helps them collect essential data for conservation.
APPEARANCE
Black kites have tiny, dark eyes, like little beads. They have a big, strong, curved black beak that helps them rip apart their food. If you look at their wings in flight, the tips look like they have fingers because of the gaps between the feathers. They also have a patch of yellow skin near their nostrils on top of their beak. And, they're often called 'fork-tailed kites' because their tails are shaped like a 'V'.
BEHAVIOUR
Black kites typically live in social groups.
SIZE
47 - 60 cms | 18.5 - 23.6 inches
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
Sexes alike, females larger
Biome
TERRESTRIAL
ANTHROPOGENIC BIOME
WETLANDS
The Indian Black Kite (Milvus migrans ssp. govinda) is a subspecies of the Black Kite (Milvus migran) has adapted particularly well to human establishments and in fact, prefer to be in and around cities due to availability of food.
Unlike the Black-Eared Kite (Milvus migrans ssp. lineatus), which is another subspecies, the Indian Black Kite does not migrate and breeds in India.
In a 2020 study, researchers followed black-eared kites flying to and from Delhi, India. They discovered these birds undertake very long migrations, traveling between 3,300 and 4,800 kilometers across nine Asian countries.
To do this, the kites flew over the Himalayas, reaching incredibly high altitudes, even over 6,500 meters near K2. They also spent a lot of time flying above 3,500 meters. The birds then navigated across or around the Taklamakan Desert and the Tian Shan mountain range to reach their breeding grounds, which are located where Kazakhstan, Russia, China, and Mongolia meet.
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​Pre-breeding (blue tracks) and post-breeding (red tracks) migration routes, and breeding and non-breeding ranges (pink polygons) of Black-eared kites Milvus migrans lineatus GPS-tagged in Delhi (India).
