Red Kites and Black Kites
Aid to Identification
Prompted by Tom Hartwell’s beautiful video of the courtship display of Red Kites in UK, I looked at some of our photos of Kites in Spain and Portugal. It reminded me of the challenge we sometimes have distinguishing between the Red and the Black Kite. https://www.woodlands.co.uk/tv/2020/04/red-kites/
During the winter months there should be no problem, because the majority of Black Kite migrate south, but in the summer we often see the two species flying together. In pic. 1 the Black Kite shows the most reliable identification characteristics of the species – the uniform colour of the back and tail. In the Red Kite the tail, as viewed from above, is chestnut coloured (see pic. 5).
Red and Black Kites are both long winged raptors that glide on flat wings, with buoyant flight. Their bodies are agile (see pic. 7), they fly with flat wings and frequently use their tails as rudders in a pronounced way.
From the underside the wing shape of the Black Kite is more rounded than the Red Kite’s. They often show six fingers, whereas the Red Kite shows five, although we sometimes find this a difficult distinction to judge. Also, juvenile Black Kites tend not to show the sixth finger (juveniles are always there to confuse, whatever the species!) The pale panels on the wings are less distinct than the Red Kite’s, and the tail tends to be square at the end, whereas the Red Kites often shows as heavily forked. But this depends on how they are flying (pics 3 and 4).
The two Kites in pic. 4. illustrate the longer tail with definite fork of the Red Kite. They are showing five fingers and their plumage has a translucence associated with the species. The white panels on the wings are whiter and more accentuated than the Black Kite’s.
Pic.5 – although the tail colour is clear, and distinct from the colour of the Black Kite’s tail, the fork is less accentuated in this mode of flight. A deeply forked tail is a good indication of Red Kite, but a square tail does not necessarily denote a Black Kite.
Overall, much depends on the viewing conditions. Sometimes it’s just down to the jizz of the bird, and there are times when it just doesn’t matter – just the pleasure of the seeing them is enough.
Distribution
Indeed we often see them on our trips in much of Spain and parts of Portugal, flying low as they hunt along the side of roads. To us they seem the most common of the raptors in the region. However BirdLife International reports that the number of Red Kite is declining in its core breeding areas of Spain, France and Germany, although overall this decrease is being compensated for by increasing numbers in UK. They’re on the cusp of Red Book status.
Compared to the Red Kite, the Black Kite has an enormous geographical distribution and although its numbers are decreasing in many regions, its massive overall spread is ensuring its relative safety.
http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/red-kite-milvus-milvus/text
Behaviour and Habitat
Red and Black Kites are both hunters and scavengers. The Red Kite was an important part of European urban life before the time of household garbage collection. Its numbers plummeted during the 19th century, when this food source decreased, and when gamekeepers, armed with ever more reliable weapons, began their indiscriminate killing of all types of raptors. Later pesticides took their toll. It is only in recent years that their numbers have stabilised.
The Black Kite is still an important scavenger of human waste in much of its range in Africa and Asia.
That aside, Black Kites are often found close to water, where they nest and sometimes fish. We’ve watched Black Kites skimming the surface of the Tejo in Parque Nacional de Monfragüe. But essentially they are opportunistic feeders, as are Red Kites, hence their attraction to roads and road kill.
Aside from nesting time, they are gregarious birds, often seen with Corvids and Buzzards picking over a kill.
On our regular route to Portugal there is a long section of road running between Palencia and Benevente. It crosses through part of the Tierra de Campos, (see: https://woodcockwood.com/great-bustards-and-lesser-kestrels/) an area of gently undulating and heavily cultivated countryside. It is always excellent for birding, and we usually drive slowly and stop frequently, as we did on our trip in February this year – pictures 6 & 7.
6. & 7. Red Kite join Crows and a Buzzard to pick over something tasty. Tierra de Campos. Picture 7: supreme agility in flight.
See the following for one or two other intriguing similarities:
Chris and Chris Saunders, May 2020
See also article on use of bait, supplementary feeding and conservation: https://woodcockwood.com/bait-in-bird-photography-and-conservation-research/
For Site Index and Full List of Birds Discussed: