Black-shouldered Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Other Names

  Black-winged Kite, Common Black-shouldered Kite   Élanion blac   Gleitaar   Elanio Común   Svartvingad glada   Grijze Wouw   Nibbio bianco

World: Found across sub-Saharan Africa, the most northerly parts of the African continent, the southern Iberian Peninsula, SW Arabia, Pakistan, India, southern China, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula and through Indonesia from Sumatra to the Lesser Sundas.

Kenya: Common and widespread across much of the country except in the arid NE. Occurs in grassland, cultivated areas and open savanna.

There is still much debate about the taxonomy of this bird. Some authorities group it as a single species with E. axillaris (the Autralian Black-shouldered Kite) and E. leucurus (the White-tailed Kite). Others split out the species even further, classing the Sumatran Black-shouldered Kite (E. c. hypoleucus) and a distinct species (E. sumatranus). The picture above is the nominate race (found in Kenya).

They feed primarily on rodents but will take bats, birds, reptiles and insects. They hunt either by hovering or perching and then taking a 2 stage approach to their descent. This starts in a slow descent but ends in a rapid plunge to the ground to caprture the prey. The hunt singly or in pairs and are often crepuscular. Outside the breeding season they roost communally and can occur in very large numbers.