Prakruti Parichay
AccipitridaeMilvus

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

58–66 cmVery Large
Beak
—
Feet
—
Crest
No crest

Widespread resident. Shallow tail-fork. Much manoeuvring of arched wings and twisting of tail in flight. Dark rufous-brown. with variable whitish crescent at primary bases on underwing. and a pale band across the median coverts on the upperwing. Juvenile has broad whitish or bullish streaking on the head and underparts. Gregarious throughout the year. Mainly occurs around cities. towns and villages. also mountains.

Colour

WhiteRufous / Red-brownBrown
Average size
62 cm
Habitat
Mainly occurs around cities. towns and villages. also mountains.
Behaviour
Widespread resident., Gregarious throughout the year.

About this bird

Widespread resident. Shallow tail-fork. Much manoeuvring of arched wings and twisting of tail in flight. Dark rufous-brown. with variable whitish crescent at primary bases on underwing. and a pale band across the median coverts on the upperwing. Juvenile has broad whitish or bullish streaking on the head and underparts. Gregarious throughout the year. Mainly occurs around cities. towns and villages. also mountains.

Compare size with other birds

Every bird sits between two neighbours — bigger than one, smaller than the other. The sentences below are generated live from the database.

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Black Kite is bigger than Black-crowned Night Heron but smaller than Common Shelduck.

This bird

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

58–66 cm