Milvus Migrans

Order: Birds of Prey (Accipitriformes)

Family: Hawkweed (Accipitridae)

Size: 45 – 65 cm

Span: 120 – 155 cm

Size: 500 – 1.000 g

The Black Kite is a very inconspicuous bird of prey, a scavenger and opportunist. Waste on landfills, marketplaces, slaughterhouses and fish factories, rubbish on highways and the like are the regular feeding grounds for this bird. Even fishing boats are followed by black kites. Black Kites have been observed to rob people of their sandwich or take part in the evening barbecue. Raptors and other hunters are also not safe from the Black Kite. Sometimes they are so persistent, that another hunter will have to spit up already swallowed food to get rid of them. The Black Kite lives in various subspecies in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Due to its dangerous way of life as a scavenger, the Black Kite is very light and agile in the air.