Her grey-and-white plumage wears a fresh coat of paint every other season. With sharp crimson eyes inside black frames, she thirsts for bloody sunsets. The black-shoulder kite looks like a character out of an animated film. In Hindi, It is known as Kapas because of its white colour. It may not be as big and powerful like eagles and falcons but it holds its own, and is very proficient at what it does. The black-shouldered kite also known as the black-winged kite is slightly smaller than a crow and is one of the smaller members of raptors. Though we were after the big raptors, this handsome bird stopped us in our tracks. Unlike other raptors which are big, dark and powerful birds with gimlet eyes, armed with grappling iron talons and cruel meat-hook bills, this bird was refined, silver-grey and snow-white, looking straight down out of eyes that seem to be made of pure rubies.
That Sunday morning in Tal Chhapar Black Buck sanctuary in Rajasthan, we halted the jeep and watched the bird perching quietly at our eye level. Overall, currently, Black kites are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are stable.Tail feathers of the black-shouldered kite look like a Japanese fan (All photos: Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha) In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 186,000-254,000 breeding pairs, equating to 372,000-507,000 mature individuals. The eagle-owl freely picks off kites of any age from the nestling stage to adulthood and was noted to precipitously decrease kite breeding success when nesting within kilometers of the kites in the Italian Alps.Īccording to the IUCN Red List, the total Black kite population size is around 4,000,000-5,700,000 mature individuals. However, they do have a single serious predator: the Eurasian eagle-owl. As a large raptorial bird, the Black kite has few natural predators. They are also a major nuisance at some airports, where their size makes them a significant birdstrike hazard. Their habit of swooping to pick up dead rodents or other roadkill leads to collisions with vehicles.
These birds also often perch on electric wires and are frequent victims of electrocution. The main threats to Black kites include poisoning, shooting, and the pollution of water by chemicals. Black kites are able to breed after their second year. After 50 days, they begin to move to branches next to the nest. The nestlings are able to stand on their legs after 17-19 days and begin flapping their wings after 27-31 days. Body feathers begin to appear after 18 to 22 days. Newly hatched chicks have a sepia down on the back and black around the eye and buff on the head, neck, and underparts. The incubation period varies from 30-34 days. The typical clutch size is 2 or sometimes 3 eggs. Both the male and female take part in nest building, incubation, and care of chicks. They are made from sticks and twigs and may sometimes be decorated with bright materials such as white plastic. The nests are built on tree branches, cliff ledges, or buildings and may be reused in subsequent years. Black kites nest singly or in loose groups. In India, it begins in winter (mainly January and February), while European birds breed in summer. The time of breeding varies with location. Black kites are monogamous and form strong pair bonds that may last for life.
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