Black-winged Kite
A species of Black-shouldered Kites Scientific name : Elanus caeruleus Genus : Black-shouldered Kites
Black-winged Kite, A species of Black-shouldered Kites
Botanical name: Elanus caeruleus
Genus: Black-shouldered Kites
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Description People often ask General Info
Photo By Lip Kee , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
This long-winged raptor is predominantly grey or white with black shoulder patches, wing tips and eye stripe. The long falcon-like wings extend beyond the tail when the bird is perched. In flight, the short and square tail is visible and it is not forked as in the typical kites of the genus Milvus. When perched, often on roadside wires, it often adjusts its wings and jerks its tail up and down as if to balance itself. The sexes are alike in plumage. Their large forward-facing eyes placed under a bony shelf that shades them is distinctive; their velvety plumage and zygodactyl feet are characters shared with owls and the genus has been considered as a basal group within the Accipitridae. They are thought to have been adapted for living in savanna habitats where seasonal rodent population peaks occur. Such food resources are also favoured by the owls. The inner vanes of the feathers have velvety barbules. They have a diploid chromosome number of 68 (some older studies claimed 64 for E.c.caeruleus and 66 for E.c.vociferus) with a distinct karyotype with resemblances to the kites and honey buzzards and suggesting a basal position within the diurnal birds of prey. 
Size
37 cm
Colors
Black
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
6 years
Feeding Habits
Black-winged Kite, a raptor, predominantly consumes small rodents, reptiles, insects, and birds, employing keen eyesight during low-altitude hover or perch-based hunting. This species exhibits specialized hunting techniques and has a preference for open habitats conducive to this foraging style.
Habitat
Black-winged Kite thrives in open savanna grasslands dotted with bushes and small trees, adapting to arid steppe, desert landscapes, and clearings within dense woodlands where prey is abundant. This species is associated with a variety of terrains, from lowlands to high mountain ranges, notably present in European cultivated parklands and S Asian high altitudes up to 2020 m. Outside the breeding season, black-winged Kite can form large communal roosts in trees or reedbeds, dispersing during the day across individual hunting territories.
Dite type
Carnivorous
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General Info
Behavior
The black-winged kite breeds at different times of the year across its range. Although nesting has been noted throughout the year in India, they appear not to breed in April and May. Males establish territories and defend them from competition. Females move into the territories of males. Courtship is noisy and involves chases and once the pair is formed they copulate frequently. The nest is a loose platform of twigs in which 3 or 4 eggs are laid.
Distribution Area
The black-winged kite is a species primarily of open land and semi-deserts in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia, but it has a foothold within Europe in Spain and Portugal. The species range appears to be expanding in southern Europe and possibly in West Asia. The first records of breeding in Europe were in the 1860s and since then they have become more widespread and populations are on the rise. It is thought that land-use changes, particularly agriculture and pastureland have helped the species. Several geographic populations have been named as subspecies and these include the nominate subspecies which occurs in Spain, Africa and Arabia. The subspecies vociferus is found east of this range across South Asia and into Southeast Asia. Along Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Philippines subspecies hypoleucus (sometimes considered a full species) includes the population wahgiensis described from New Guinea. Subspecies sumatranus is not always recognized. The white-tailed kite and the black-shouldered kite were formerly included with this species but have since been treated as separate species. Although found mainly on the plains they have been seen at higher altitudes in Sikkim (3,650 m (11,980 ft)), the Nilgiris (Doddabetta, 2,670 m (8,760 ft)) and Nagaland (2,020 m (6,630 ft)). They are said to be winter visitors in some parts of their range such as the Western Ghats.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
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