Birdwatching - 3027 🐦

🦉 The black kite (Milvus migrans)

• Milvus (lat) - kite
• migrans (lat.) - migrating

It is difficult to confuse this predator with others - especially when it hovers over a yard or a river, spreading its wings and "steering" with its forked tail. It is not as majestic as an eagle, and not as fast and swift as a falcon, but it is much more impudent. Kites love easy prey: I once saw them steal fish right from a bucket from fishermen who had moved away from the shore.

This is their nature. They do not have a large muscle mass like other hawks, so they cannot quickly dive on a gaping prey. Therefore, they prefer to feed on carrion, inspect garbage cans for scraps. Sometimes they catch fish in the river, but they do not often succeed in this, as well as catching small rodents.