Black Kite Milvus migrans Scientific name definitions

Falco migrans Boddaert, 1783 [type locality = France]. Black Kite. Includes rufiventris Buturlin, 1908 (Turkmenistan) and reichenowi Erlanger, 1897 (Northwestern Africa). This subspecies intergrades freely with lineatus wherever they come into contact (4 Forsman, D. (2016). Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close , 10 Karyakin, Igor (2017). “Problem of Identification of Eurasian Subspecies of the Black Kite and Records of the Pariah Kite in Southern Siberia, Russia. Raptors Conservation, March, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.19074/1814-8654-2017-34-49-67. Close ).

Cape Verde Islands, northwestern Africa, and southern and central Europe east to southwestern Asia (to western Pakistan); winters mainly Africa south of the Sahara.

Brown overall with fine black streaks, lower body sometimes tinged rufous. Gray head with diffuse mask behind eyes. Pale diagonals on upperwing. Subtle pale gray panel on underwing. Light iris; yellow feet. Tail fork 20–35 mm (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). There is much individual variation within this subspecies, with some birds being more rufous or darker brown than most others (10 Karyakin, Igor (2017). “Problem of Identification of Eurasian Subspecies of the Black Kite and Records of the Pariah Kite in Southern Siberia, Russia. Raptors Conservation, March, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.19074/1814-8654-2017-34-49-67. Close ).

Birds from northwestern Africa have been separated as reichenowi based on their smaller size, but this subspecies is no longer recognized. Some birds in the Middle East are very brightly colored, possibly due to environmental conditions, and thus look similar to Red Kite (4 Forsman, D. (2016). Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ). These birds are provisionally assumed to be a local rufous morph of nominate.

Milvus govinda Sykes, 1832 [type locality = Dukhun]. (Small) Indian Kite. Johnson et al. (2 Johnson, J. A., R. T. Watson, and D. P. Mindell (2005). Prioritizing species conservation: does the Cape Verde Kite exist? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 272(1570):1365–1371. Close ) failed to distinguish govinda from lineatus in their genetic analysis. However, Andreyenkova et al. (8 Andreyenkova, N. G., I. J. Starikov, M. Wink, I. V. Karyakin, O. V. Andreyenkov, and I. F. Zhimulev (2019). “The Problems of Genetic Support of Dividing the Black Kite (Milvus Migrans) into Subspecies.” Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding 23 (2): 226–31. https://doi.org/10.18699/VJ19.486. Close ) argued that all the samples were collected during the wintering period, when lineatus is also present in the same region. They concluded that these results may be due to incorrect labeling of wintering lineatus. Another study found lineatus closely related to, but distinct from govinda (5 Heneberg, P., Dolinay, M., Matušík, H., Pfeiffer, T., Nachtigall, W., Bizos, J., Šimčíková, D. and I. Literák (2016). Conservation of the Red Kite Milvus milvus (Aves: Accipitriformes) Is Not Affected by the Establishment of a Broad Hybrid Zone with the Black Kite Milvus migrans migrans in Central Europe. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0159202. Close ).

Eastern Pakistan east through India and Sri Lanka to southern China (Yunnan), Indochina, and Malay Peninsula.

Smaller than migrans and lineatus, somewhat intermediate in plumage. There is no sexual dimorphism in size for this subspecies (10 Karyakin, Igor (2017). “Problem of Identification of Eurasian Subspecies of the Black Kite and Records of the Pariah Kite in Southern Siberia, Russia. Raptors Conservation, March, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.19074/1814-8654-2017-34-49-67. Close ). Wings and tail shorter, with a deeper fork (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Crown more rufous, plumage more uniformly brown. Ear coverts do not contrast as much as in lineatus. The pale gray panel on the underwing is smaller and more barred compared to lineatus (11 Decandido, Robert, Tulsi Subedi, Martti Siponen, Kaset Sutasha, Andrew Pierce, Chukiat Nualsri, and Philip D Round (2013). “Flight Identification of Milvus migrans lineatus ‘Black-Eared’ Kite and Milvus migrans govinda ‘Pariah’ Kite in Nepal and Thailand.” BirdingASIA 20: 32–36. Close ). Bare parts are bright yellow. In juvenile plumage, the white streaks on the body are thinner than on juvenile lineatus (11 Decandido, Robert, Tulsi Subedi, Martti Siponen, Kaset Sutasha, Andrew Pierce, Chukiat Nualsri, and Philip D Round (2013). “Flight Identification of Milvus migrans lineatus ‘Black-Eared’ Kite and Milvus migrans govinda ‘Pariah’ Kite in Nepal and Thailand.” BirdingASIA 20: 32–36. Close ). This subspecies is also less variable in plumage than migrans and lineatus (11 Decandido, Robert, Tulsi Subedi, Martti Siponen, Kaset Sutasha, Andrew Pierce, Chukiat Nualsri, and Philip D Round (2013). “Flight Identification of Milvus migrans lineatus ‘Black-Eared’ Kite and Milvus migrans govinda ‘Pariah’ Kite in Nepal and Thailand.” BirdingASIA 20: 32–36. Close , 10 Karyakin, Igor (2017). “Problem of Identification of Eurasian Subspecies of the Black Kite and Records of the Pariah Kite in Southern Siberia, Russia. Raptors Conservation, March, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.19074/1814-8654-2017-34-49-67. Close ).

Milvus affinis Gould, 1838 [type locality = Australia]. Fork-tailed Kite. This subspecies is most similar to govinda in morphology. Preliminary analyses, including short sequences from govinda collected in summer (when lineatus has left India) found a close relationship between govinda and affinis (8 Andreyenkova, N. G., I. J. Starikov, M. Wink, I. V. Karyakin, O. V. Andreyenkov, and I. F. Zhimulev (2019). “The Problems of Genetic Support of Dividing the Black Kite (Milvus Migrans) into Subspecies.” Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding 23 (2): 226–31. https://doi.org/10.18699/VJ19.486. Close ). Samples from affinis formed a clade distinct from migrans and lineatus in all recent genetic analyses (2 Johnson, J. A., R. T. Watson, and D. P. Mindell (2005). Prioritizing species conservation: does the Cape Verde Kite exist? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 272(1570):1365–1371. Close , 5 Heneberg, P., Dolinay, M., Matušík, H., Pfeiffer, T., Nachtigall, W., Bizos, J., Šimčíková, D. and I. Literák (2016). Conservation of the Red Kite Milvus milvus (Aves: Accipitriformes) Is Not Affected by the Establishment of a Broad Hybrid Zone with the Black Kite Milvus migrans migrans in Central Europe. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0159202. Close ).

Sulawesi, Moluccas (Buru) and Lesser Sundas (east to Timor); eastern New Guinea; northern Australia south (in east) to Victoria.

Smallest subspecies, hardly overlapping with any other (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Rather uniformly dark brown except for pale face, also clear pale diagonal on upperwing. No internal variation has been detected in this subspecies (12 Amadon, D., and H. T. Condon (1954). Taxonomic notes on Australian hawks. Records of the South Australian Museum 11:189–246. Close ).

Haliaetus lineatus Gray, 1831 [type locality = China]. Black-eared Kite. Intergrades with nominate are found in a wide area extending across Eastern Europe and Western Asia (10 Karyakin, Igor (2017). “Problem of Identification of Eurasian Subspecies of the Black Kite and Records of the Pariah Kite in Southern Siberia, Russia. Raptors Conservation, March, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.19074/1814-8654-2017-34-49-67. Close ). They show almost all intermediate phenotypes between the two subspecies. This populations is sometimes called intermedius and is said to be "huge and self-sustainable" (4 Forsman, D. (2016). Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ).

Ural Mountains east through Siberia to Amurland and Japan, south to northern India, northern Myanmar, northern China, and Ryukyu Islands; winters south to southern Iraq, southern India, and southeastern Asia.

Largest subspecies, with an almost eagle-like structure. Compared to nominate, wings are larger and show a different wing-formula. Browner crown and underbody; contrasting creamy-buff belly and undertail. Pale lores and chin give a pale-faced look while dark ear-coverts form a "mask." Black bill appears long and heavy. Large white primary patch in all plumages. Bare parts are dull bluish or greenish as opposed to the bright yellow of other subspecies. There is also much individual variation within this subspecies, with some birds being redder (although less than rufous morph migrans) and others being darker than usual (11 Decandido, Robert, Tulsi Subedi, Martti Siponen, Kaset Sutasha, Andrew Pierce, Chukiat Nualsri, and Philip D Round (2013). “Flight Identification of Milvus migrans lineatus ‘Black-Eared’ Kite and Milvus migrans govinda ‘Pariah’ Kite in Nepal and Thailand.” BirdingASIA 20: 32–36. Close , 10 Karyakin, Igor (2017). “Problem of Identification of Eurasian Subspecies of the Black Kite and Records of the Pariah Kite in Southern Siberia, Russia. Raptors Conservation, March, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.19074/1814-8654-2017-34-49-67. Close ). The typical characteristics of this subspecies (black ear coverts, bluish bare parts, white wing panels) tend to be more strongly expressed in the eastern part of its range (10 Karyakin, Igor (2017). “Problem of Identification of Eurasian Subspecies of the Black Kite and Records of the Pariah Kite in Southern Siberia, Russia. Raptors Conservation, March, 49–67. https://doi.org/10.19074/1814-8654-2017-34-49-67. Close ).

Milvus lineatus formosanus Kuroda, 1920 [type locality = "Gyochi, Nanto District, Central Formosa"]. Taiwan Kite. Sometimes considered to be the result of an intergrade zone between govinda and lineatus; barely distinguishable from latter (8 Andreyenkova, N. G., I. J. Starikov, M. Wink, I. V. Karyakin, O. V. Andreyenkov, and I. F. Zhimulev (2019). “The Problems of Genetic Support of Dividing the Black Kite (Milvus Migrans) into Subspecies.” Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding 23 (2): 226–31. https://doi.org/10.18699/VJ19.486. Close ).

Taiwan and Hainan (southern China).

Similar to lineatus but smaller. The plumage is somewhat intermediate between lineatus and govinda.

Falco aegyptius Gmelin, 1788 [type locality = Egypt]. Yellow-billed Kite. Frequently split as Milvus aegyptius (including parasitus).

Egypt, southwestern Arabia, and coastal East Africa south to Kenya.

Averages smaller than migrans, except for North African population of latter (formerly separated as reichenowi). Narrower wings and more pointed wingtips (different wing-formula). Slimmer with more deeply forked tail (tail fork: 30–45 mm) (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). More uniformly brown head and neck, more rufous underbody, and distinctly barred tail. Dark iris and yellow feet. Bill usually all-yellow, but some adults with black tip (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 4 Forsman, D. (2016). Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close , 6 Clark, W. S., and R. Davies (2018). African Raptors. Helm, London, UK. Close ). Different molt timing compared to nominate.

Birds from southern Arabia and North Somalia are still smaller, with bill varying from yellow to blackish (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). They show a brighter plumage, lighter iris, and tend to have longer fifth primaries (4 Forsman, D. (2016). Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ). Some birds in Ethiopia also tend to be more rufous than those further south (4 Forsman, D. (2016). Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ).

Falco parasitus Daudin, 1800 [type locality = Africa]. Proposed subspecies tenebrosus Grant and Mackworth-Praed, 1933 (West Africa) is a synonym. This subspecies is polyphyletic according to recent molecular studies (2 Johnson, J. A., R. T. Watson, and D. P. Mindell (2005). Prioritizing species conservation: does the Cape Verde Kite exist? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 272(1570):1365–1371. Close , 5 Heneberg, P., Dolinay, M., Matušík, H., Pfeiffer, T., Nachtigall, W., Bizos, J., Šimčíková, D. and I. Literák (2016). Conservation of the Red Kite Milvus milvus (Aves: Accipitriformes) Is Not Affected by the Establishment of a Broad Hybrid Zone with the Black Kite Milvus migrans migrans in Central Europe. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0159202. Close ). It includes two distinct clades which are not sisters: one in equatorial Africa and southern Arabian Peninsula (which also includes aegyptius), and the other in southern Africa and Madagascar, which is more closely related to the Red Kite (Milvus milvus). Whether morphological differences exist between them or not remains to be investigated.

Africa south of Sahara, Comoro Islands, and Madagascar.

Smaller than aegyptius; tail fork 30–46 mm (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). More cinnamon-rufous below, averaging duller than aegyptius (3 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ,6 Clark, W. S., and R. Davies (2018). African Raptors. Helm, London, UK. Close ). Adult bill always yellow. Darker iris than aegyptius.