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Black Kite

Milvus migrans

3 Species ID Suggestions

Cheel, Black Kite
Milvus migrans Black kite


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10 Comments

Seeing so many in favor of "Black Kite", I will take that as a final ID.

Desmond.E.S.O
Desmond.E.S.O 8 years ago

...Definitely the Black kite!

Desmond.E.S.O
Desmond.E.S.O 8 years ago

Look at this one... https://www.google.com/search?q=black+ki...... The Primary wing coverts seem to match, Along with the sudden dropping black bill.

I would expect a Black Kite to have a paler head and throat and darker streaks on the breast. A picture showing the tail and wing tips would be a great help, Tawny perches with wing tips close to the tail tip, Black Kite wing tips are only half way along tail. I agree the shadowing round the eye and the darkness of the eye are more suggestive of Black Kite. Tawny's are extremely variable plumage-wise and are also very common but they always have very dark tails. In flight the Black Kites have a visible notch in the pale tail and they use it for steering and balance far more than other raptors except the Red Kite which has a reddish tail and even deeper fork in it.
Black Kites are very common, in fact abundant, all along the western coastal strip of India, but as you get up onto the plateau where Pune is increasing numbers of the other raptors are also present.

JoshuaGSmith
JoshuaGSmith 8 years ago

Plus, according to Ebird, they are super common in Pune.

Ashutosh Dudhatra
Ashutosh Dudhatra 8 years ago

I agree with Sukanya.Its a black kite indeed.It the commonest raptor in our country especially in the urban areas.

JoshuaGSmith
JoshuaGSmith 8 years ago

Black Kite is the one. Bill size/shape, wing covert color, proportions, etc. support that species. Raptors can be very difficult. I'm just glad we didn't have to deal with an Accipiter hawk!

JoshuaGSmith
JoshuaGSmith 8 years ago

Haha! 3 different IDs. I took a look at this bird earlier and wasn't sure either.

chicc adee
chicc adee 8 years ago

That looks like a very small bill for a Tawny Eagle. Oriental Honey Buzzards have very many color variations, and in my opinion, this looks like one. They should also be the "default" raptor over most of Asia.

Pic 2 shows the gape line very clearly and in the similar Steppe Eagle it would extend further back behind the eye. Pic 5 is not quite so clear but the head is level and it can be seen to stop below the centre of the eye. These are the only 2 Aquila Eagles in this area of India.

Reza Hashemizadeh
Spotted by
Reza Hashemizadeh

Pune, Maharashtra, India

Spotted on Jul 19, 2015
Submitted on Sep 21, 2015

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