birds of prey

1. Birds Of Prey
Kites

2. A Brahaminy Kite From
Arunachal Pradesh
This bird (Tamil: Krishna Parunthu)
is found at Tiruvannamalai, and
there are several Brahminy Kite
nests by Samudram Lake. Where
the nests are known, the birds are
worshipped as representative of
Garuda (the sacred Eagle), but this
bird is actually a Kite.
The Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
is also known as the Red Backed Sea
Eagle and the Singapore Bald Eagle.
It is a medium-sized bird of prey in
the family Accipitridae, which also
includes other diurnal raptors such
as eagles, buzzards and harriers.

3. Mississipi Kite
One of our most graceful fliers, this
kite glides, circles, and swoops in
pursuit of large flying insects.
Despite the name, it is most
common on the southern Great
Plains. During recent decades, the
planting of trees in shelterbelts and
towns has made it possible for this
bird to nest in many areas where it
was formerly scarce; many towns
on the southern plains now have
their own nesting colonies of
Mississippi Kites.

4. Red Kite
The Red Kite (Milvus milvus) is a
medium-large bird of prey in the
family Accipitridae, which also
includes many other diurnal raptors
such as eagles, buzzards and
harriers. It is a European rare
species which is resident in the
milder parts of its range, but birds
from northern and central Europe
winter further south and west.

5. Swallow Tailed Kite
This adult swallow tailed kite was
feeding his young fledgling getting
him ready for the long journey to
South America at the end of the
summer. It was truely a joy to
observea and be in thier world for a
few moments!

6. White Tailed Kite
As recently as the 1940s, this
graceful hawk was considered rare
and endangered in North America,
restricted to a few sites in California
and Texas. In recent decades, it has
increased greatly in numbers and
spread into many new areas. It is
often seen hovering on rapidly
beating wings over open fields,
looking for small rodents, its main
food source. The introduction of the
house mouse from Europe may
have played a part in its increase;
formerly, the kite fed almost
entirely on voles.

7. Whistling Kite
The whistling kite (Haliastur
sphenurus) is a medium-sized
diurnal raptor found throughout
Australia (including coastal islands),
New Caledonia and much of New
Guinea (excluding the central
mountains and the northwest).[2]
Also called the whistling eagle or
whistling hawk,[3] it is named for its
loud whistling call, which it often
gives in flight. Some authorities put
this species in the genus Milvus,[4]
despite marked differences in
behaviour, voice and plumage
between this species and other
members of that genus.[2]

8. Whistling Kite
• The whistling kite ranges in size from 50–60 cm (20–24 in), with a wingspan
between 123–146 cm (48–57 in).[2] Weights range from 380–1,050 g (13–37 oz)
an average of 600g-750g for males and 750g-1000g for females.[2] As with most
raptors, females are larger and heavier than males; though there is considerable
overlap between the sexes, females can be up to 21% larger and 42% heavier.[3]
Southern birds are also larger than those found in the tropics.[2] Male and female
plumages are the same. Adult birds are a pale buff on the head, breast and tail,
with browner wings and black flight feathers. Immature birds are a heavily
streaked reddish-brown with prominent pale spots on the wings. Throughout
their lives, whistling kites have bone-colored legs and feet, which are
unfeathered. Overall, the whistling kite looks small-headed and long-tailed, with
wingtips falling well short of the tail tip when the bird is perched. Though its legs
are short, the bird walks easily on the ground.[3] Whistling kites soar on slightly
bowed wings, with their long flight feathers often well-splayed. The striking
pattern on their underwings is distinctive.

9. RSPB Red Kite
The red kite is subject to the longest
continuous conservation project in
the world. The first Kite Committee
was formed in 1903 by concerned
individuals appalled at the
continuing destruction of kites, who
initiated the first nest protection
schemes. The RSPB is thought to
have been involved continuously
since 1905.

10. Black Kite
The black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized
bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also
includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to
be the world's most abundant species of
Accipitridae, although some populations have
experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations.[2]
Current global population estimates run up to 6
million individuals.[1] Unlike others of the group,
black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more
likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring
and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their
angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them
easy to identify. They are also vociferous with a
shrill whinnying call. This kite is widely distributed
through the temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia
and parts of Australasia and Oceania, with the
temperate region populations tending to be
migratory. Several subspecies are recognized and
formerly had their own English names. The
European populations are small, but the South
Asian population is very large.

11. Black Winged Kite
The black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus) 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 Eurasian
and African 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. Although mainly seen on the plains,
they are sometimes seen on grassy slopes of
hills in the higher elevation regions of Asia.
They are not migratory, but make short-
distance movements in response to weather.

12. Snail Kite
In the wide-open marshes of central
Florida, this broad-winged bird
glides slowly and low over the
sawgrass. It has no need for fast
flight, because it seeks only snails --
and only one particular sort, the
apple snail. This snail is strongly
affected by water levels, and
drainage of wetlands has hurt
populations of both the snail and
the kite. The Florida race of this
bird, formerly called Everglades
Kite, is now endangered.

13. Endangered Snail Kite
The only place in the United States
where the beautiful and
endangered Snail Kite is found is in
the southern half of the state of
Florida. Snail Kites are abundant in
parts of Central and South America
but, in the U.S., these birds number
less than two thousand and are
considered the rarest bird of prey in
the nation.

14. Snail Kites are large hawk-like birds with a long hook-
shaped bill and a wingspan of nearly four feet. The males
are slate grey in color and the females are dark brown
with white streaks. Their long bill allows them to feed on
their primary food source, the Apple Snail. The Apple
Snail is thought by many to be the only prey of the Snail
Kite, but I have also observed them eating baby turtles
and in one case, a crawfish. During the last few years,
Florida has become home to an ever-increasing number
of exotic South American Channeled Apple Snails – much
larger and more invasive than the Florida Apple Snail.
This seems to be a good thing for the Snail Kites as they
have adapted to feeding on the larger, exotic snail which
now makes up the majority of their diet.

15. Black kite
This kite is mainly found in
the indian continent known as
black kite

16. Black Shouldred kite
A common bird of prey in
South Africa, the Black-
shouldered Kite is a small,
grey and white raptor with a
black shoulder. The
upperparts are bluish grey,
with black wing coverts which
appear as a distinctive, black
shoulder patch.

17. The underparts are white. There is a small black mask around
the eye. Young birds have a reddish-brown wash on the head
and breast and the feathers of the upperparts are tipped white.
The bill is short with a sharp, hooked tip to the upper mandible.
The bill is black, while the feet and legs, and the cere (skin at
the base of the bill) are bright yellow. The eye is dark red in
adult and brownish-orange in immature birds.
This small raptor is able to hunt by hovering on upturned wings
about 50 meters above the ground. When prey is sighted, the
kite glides gracefully straight down into the grass. Black-
shouldered Kites are highly nomadic - moving about in search
of prey.
QUICK FACTS
Size
Range length: 35 to 38 cm.
Range wingspan: 80 to 95 cm.

18. Red Kite
In Victorian times they were treated
like vermin and hunted to the brink of
extinction.
But red kites are once again
flourishing across Britain, thanks to
the efforts of conservationists...and
local councils who leave household
rubbish to pile up.
The birds of prey are natural
scavengers, and experts believe the
growing amount of food thrown away,
combined with less frequent bin
collections, is helping the species
thrive.

19. In Reading up to 60 red kites have been spotted from the roof
of a multi-storey car park, apparently watching for the roadkill
on which they like to feed.
Earlier this month, BBC1’s The One Show featured a flock
attracted to the waste left at a roadside cafe in Oxfordshire,
and there have also been sightings in Leeds, Gateshead,
Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry and Hampstead and
Hackney in North and East London.
Despite the efforts of conservationists, the numbers of red
kites plunged to just a handful of breeding pairs in the 1960s,
confined to rural mid-Wales.
But a concerted reintroduction programme begun 20 years ago
means that there are now thought to be 1,800 breeding pairs
across the country.
In medieval times, red kites proliferated in Britain.
By snatching discarded food from the streets, they helped keep
towns and cities clean – and kites were protected by a Royal
decree, with the death penalty for killing one.

20. William Shakespeare wrote about their habit of stealing
laundry to adorn their nests, and they are known to have
carried away dolls, teddy bears and toy cars.
However, by the 16th Century, kites were considered vermin,
with a bounty placed on their heads.
By the 1890s, they had been virtually wiped out by landowners
who wrongly believed they killed their lambs.
But in the early 1990s, the RSPB released a batch of red kites
into the wild in the Chilterns, the first of several such
reintroductions across Britain.

21. Bird Guard Kite
Our Bird Gard Kite is a Bird of Prey Kite or a
Raptor Kite. It is an actual Kite that is a very
life like replica of a Raptor bird. Virtually all
species have an instinctive fear of raptors
(bird of prey) and they will avoid flying in the
vicinity of the Bird Gard Kite.
This Bird Gard Raptor Kite is supplied with a 5
metre long telescopic pole, with a 360
degree swivel attachment on top and a 2
metre string which then attaches to the Bird
Gard Kite’s ‘nose’. The kite ‘flies’ around the
pole, hovering, flapping it's wings, diving and
weaving in the breeze. The Bird Gard Kite
has survived winds up to 80 kph but is rated
for winds of up to 40 kph. It has been
successfully used to repel Seagulls, Sparrows,
Swallows, Pigeons, Peewees, Mudlarks,
Starlings, Brush Turkey’s and other small
birds.

22. Black Kite Milvis
Migrant
The Black Kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-
sized bird of prey in the
family Accipitridae which also includes many
other diurnal raptorssuch
as eagles, buzzards, and harriers.Unlike
others of the group, they are opportunistic
hunters and are more likely to scavenge.
They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding
in thermals in search of food. Their angled
wing and distinctive forked tail make them
easy to identify.
This kite is widely distributed through the
temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia and
parts of Australasia, with the temperate
region populations tending to be migratory.

23. Black Kite Melvis Migrant

24. Black Kite Afghanistan
This is one of the exciting native birds of prey
you can meet at Healesville Sanctuary.
The Black Kite is native to many countries
apart from Australia, from Afghanistan to
Finland to Thailand. Black Kites are classed as
‘least concern’ by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (on the IUCN ‘red list’). In fact, the
worldwide population is huge compared to
many bird species: an estimated 1 million to
6 million.
The Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey,
smaller than the Wedge-tailed Eagle.

25. Snail Kite
A bird of tropical marshlands, the Snail Kite
makes it to the United States only in
southern Florida. This specialized hawk feeds
primarily on snails