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Project Noah Nature School
Milvus migrans
The Black Kite "plumage is actually dark brown, with scattered light brown and rufous markings, particularly on the head, neck and underparts. The tail is forked and barred with darker brown. This feature gives the bird its alternative name of Fork-tailed Kite. The eye is dark brown and the bill is black with a yellow cere (area of skin around the nostrils)." (Birdlife Australia)
Standing on the power lines near a couple of small bodies of water, on the town side of the Long Trough (near the Prison Boab Tree).
Check out this little video of this beautiful Black Kite calling: https://youtu.be/P8VvcPP_RLE There is a small but interesting amount of reading from the The Society for the Preservation of Raptors (Inc.) "Sometimes the Black Kite is unkindly dubbed the "Kimberley Seagull" because of its habit of gathering in large numbers to scavenge around an abundant food source." (http://www.raptor.org.au/mmigrans.html )
Spotted on Apr 28, 2019
Submitted on Apr 28, 2019
4 Comments
Thank you Zlatan! It's the first time I've been close enough to one to actually record the call. They're usually further away or hiding amongst the leaves. Large numbers are great to watch. I have watched them rising above the rooftops on the morning thermals.
Thank you Neil :) And you're welcome! It is a lovely bird. There are heaps here. Anytime you look up you can generally see one or two, and even Whistling Kites flying around.
I love these guys - and it is impressive when they gather in large numbers during the cereal harvest time for example; when you can see a cloud of them from a large distance... Love that first shot; and the recorded call too!
Cool spotting. It's a lovely bird. The Kimberley Seagull, hey? That certainly paints an unflattering picture. Excellent video too. Cheers for adding that also :)