Stats

Lifespan: 6-24 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Flock
Biome: Open woodland
Range: Eurasia Africa Australia
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

One of the world's most abundant raptors, the Black Kite ranges across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia; its shallow-forked tail is the clearest field mark, distinguishing it from all other raptors in flight.

Life cycle

1.
egg
One or two eggs are incubated on a high stick nest or cliff ledge, guarded closely by the pair.
2.
hatchling
A downy hatchling is fed torn meat by its parents and grows quickly in a high nest.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest, learning to soar and to make its first kills.
4.
adult
Fully grown, hunting on its own with adult plumage.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Milvus
Species: Milvus migrans