Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

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Unlike most raptors, which breed once a year, it can raise several broods in succession when rodent numbers boom.

Weight

up to 261 g

Lifespan

6 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Between 2,600 and 5,700 mature individuals in Europe, with a stable trend. In Spain it occurs mainly across the western half, in the middle basins of the Duero, Tagus and Guadiana and the lower Guadalquivir

SavannaCarnivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Savanna

67countries 15parks43same family

Fun facts

It hunts by hovering much as a kestrel does, scanning the ground before stooping.
It feeds mainly on small rodents, supplemented with insects, lizards and small birds.
It lives in savannah, semi-desert, steppe and farmed plains of Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and Asia.
locomociónIt can hang almost motionless in the air on rapidly beating wings to pinpoint prey before dropping onto it.
It is a recent colonist of the Iberian Peninsula and is clearly expanding: the Red Book of the Birds of Spain lists it as Near Threatened. In winter it forms communal roosts of several dozen birds, such as those found at La Janda (Cádiz) and eastern Badajoz. In the cereal fields of Extremadura it plays an important part in controlling rodents.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Savannah, semi-desert, steppe and farmed plains of Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and Asia
Birth weight: Weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Downy, blind and dependent on hatching
Sexual maturity: ~1 year
Gestation / incubation: 25-35 days
Litter / clutch size: 3 to 5 eggs per clutch, hatching in sequence every 2-3 days