Black-winged kite: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the black-winged kite lives – recorded in 58 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Elanus caeruleus
Group	Birds of prey
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	58 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania
Mass	21 g (birth weight)
Class	Bird
Order	Accipitriformes
Family	Accipitridae

Where does the black-winged kite live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the black-winged kite in 58 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: Nanling Mountains, Africa. In Belgium it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a black-winged kite?

Wikidata records the following for the black-winged kite: mass 21 g (birth weight).

Is the black-winged kite endangered?

The black-winged kite’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the black-winged kite?

The black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus) is a bird in the order Accipitriformes and the family Accipitridae, genus Elanus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the black-winged kite

The black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus), also known as the black-shouldered kite (not to be confused with the closely related Australian species of the same name), is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for its habit of hovering over open grasslands in the manner of the much smaller kestrels. This Palearctic and Afrotropical species was sometimes combined with the Australian black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris) and the white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus) of North and South America which together form a superspecies. This kite is distinctive, with long wings; white, grey and black plumage; and owl-like forward-facing eyes with red irises. The owl-like behaviour is even more pronounced in the letter-winged kite (Elanus scriptus), a nocturnal relative in Australia. Although mainly seen on plains, they are sometimes seen on grassy slopes of hills in the higher elevation regions of Asia. They are not migratory, but show nomadism in response to weather and food availability. They are well adapted to utilize periodic upsurges in rodent populations and can raise multiple broods in a single year unlike most birds of prey. Populations in southern Europe have grown in response to human activities, particularly agriculture and livestock rearing. It is now present in Southwest France.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Black-winged kite (revision 1373474901), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q27227 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).