Milvus contained the familiar red and black kites. : 333 A year later, he established a separate genus Nauclerus for the scissor- and swallow-tailed kites. But Vigors noted that only the black-winged kite had rounded undersides on the nails of its talons, a trait found in the osprey but not in any other raptors, and thus suggested a separation of Elanus into two sections. The pattern of scales on the legs (acrotarsi) is reticulated, and the toes are separated.

These species all have pointed wings with the second primary the longest. In Elanus, he grouped the black-winged kite (now several Elanus spp.), scissor-tailed kite (now Chelictinia), and swallow-tailed kite (now Elanoides). He characterized the kites as having weaker bill and feebler talons than the buzzards, tail more or less forked, and wings longer than the tail. In 1824, Vigors proposed five divisions or stirpes of the family Falconidae: Aquilina (eagles), Accipitrina (hawks), Falconina (falcons), Buteonina (buzzards) and Milvina (kites, containing two genera Elanus and Milvus). Hook-billed kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus.Black-breasted buzzard, Hamirostra melanosternonĪ few of the traditional Perninae are also called kites.Slender-billed kite, Helicolestes hamatus – formerly in Rostrhamus.Mississippi kite, Ictinia mississippiensis.Double-toothed kite, Harpagus bidentatus.Subfamily Milvinae or Buteoninae, or tribe Harpagini.Yellow-billed kite, Milvus (migrans) aegyptius.

Black-eared kite, Milvus (migrans) lineatus.Cape Verde kite, Milvus (milvus) fasciicauda – extinct (2000).Swallow-tailed kite, Elanoides forficatus.Genus Elanoides – often classified in Perninae.Bat hawk, Machaerhamphus alcinus – traditionally Elaninae or Falconinae.Scissor-tailed kite, Chelictinia riocourii.Black-shouldered kite, Elanus axillaris.The group may also be differentiated by size, referring to milvine kites as 'large kites', and elanine kites as 'small kites'. Some authors use the terms 'hovering kite' and 'soaring kite' to distinguish between Elanus and the milvine kites, respectively. The term is derived from Old English cȳta (“kite bittern”), possibly from the onomatopoeic Proto-Indo-European root * gū-, 'screech.' Kite is the common name for certain birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, particularly in subfamilies Milvinae, Elaninae, and Perninae. I’d like to thank Javier Parrilla for sharing the pictures with me and allowing their publication here.Not to be confused with Kite. I guess that size, structure and plumage details should be enough to correctly clinch the id if seen well enough, but distant birds or poor shots could definitely complicate the identification (see for instance the bird 2 in the above note by Paal & Forsman). In the hybrids the white is seemingly less contrasted and more extended over the whole set of primaries. However, in Siberian Birds the white is usually limited to the base of the outer primaries, looking like a contrasted small patch. The combination of European Black Kite and Red Kite traits make these hybrids look confusingly similar to West Siberian Black Kites, especially due to the eye-catching white on the wings. Interestingly, most of the birds identified as hybrids in the field look much more similar to Red Kite (eg here or here) than the bird shown in this post, raising the question of whether those birds (or this one) were actually backcrosses rather than F1 hybrids. Three cases of presumed hybrids from Estonia were published here by Paal & Forsman. Hybridisation between Red and Black Kites has been reported on numerous occasions, mainly in Scandinavia and Baltic countries but also in Germany and the UK, with a few cases also claimed from the wintering grounds in Southern Europe. Upperwing coverts with rufous fringes contrasting with the dark feather centre. Overall plumage coloration, including contrasting dark shafts on most of the body and underwing coverts.īill size and shape, giving a typical Red Kite ‘facial expression’.

Size and structure, including long neck and powerful wings.

However, the Red Kite ancestry is likewise obvious in a number of features: The inner part of the primaries does look pale (definitely paler than in Black Kite) but not purely white as in Red Kite. The white wing patch typical of Red Kite is darkened by a greyish barring typical of Black Kite. Lack of darkish greater coverts and carpal in the underwing. Relatively squared and brownish tail with a regular and thick barring.īrownish iris, perhaps suggesting a young adult, supported too by a hint of ear-patch. Wing formula, including 6 fingers (not 5, as in Red Kite). To my eyes, the main features supporting the Black Kite influence include:

Pictures of a kite bird