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PLATE 21: KITES
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus pm, wv
L: 33. W: 76. Small, similar in size to Common Kestrel, but appears larger in flight; also hovers.
Plumage essentially pale grey and white, with black primaries and large black patch on forewing
of pale grey upperparts. Underparts white; eyes red. Juvenile darker above than adult with white-
tipped greater coverts forming narrow line. Note well-protruding, broad head, shortish tail with
slight notch when closed, long and pointed but relatively broad-based wings. Rather owl-like flight
with soft wingbeats; wings raised, rather like a harrier when soaring; persistently hovers. Voice In
display, a thin whistling wee-oo, wee-oo. Habitat Open country with trees. Note May breed Iran;
rare Oman; vagrant Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE. [Alt: Black-shouldered Kite]Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus V
L: 48. W: 135. Size of Black Kite, with similar wing position though will soar with wings in shallow
‘V’. Adult has white head, neck and breast; otherwise red-brown above and on underbody with
paler rufous underwing-coverts; flight feathers and undertail creamy-buff; blackish wing-tips most
conspicuous from below. Juvenile lacks white head and neck, is darker brown above and below,
with greyish secondaries below but conspicuous whitish primary patch. Sometimes recalls Marsh
Harrier when foraging low over ground or water, including sea. Habitat Open country, coasts.
Note Vagrant Oman.Black Kite Milvus migrans PM, WV
L: 50–65. W: 125–150. Long-winged with languid, elastic wingbeats. Tail long and forked (often
square-ended when fully spread). Adult has hardly any white on primaries below. Juvenile shows
dark eye-mask, pale feather tips on mantle and shoulders, boldly dark-spotted breast but paler belly
and diffuse dark band to tail; also whitish tips to greater upperwing-coverts. Soars and glides on
slightly arched wings; manoeuvres tail when scanning for food. Race lineatus (Black-eared Kite – also
illustrated) differs in having prominent white ‘window’ in base of dark-barred primaries, broader
hand with long sixth primary, all six ‘free’ primaries longer than in Black Kite, and browner head
(greyish in Black Kite) with more obvious dark eye-mask. Underbody is streaked off-white to ochre
(finer pale and black streaking in Black Kite). Juvenile similar to juvenile Black Kite but has broader
hand with long sixth primary (like adult), whiter base to primaries, more noticeable streaking across
breast and pale belly and vent. Voice Gull-like, whinnying yiieerr. Habitat Woodland, often near
water; anywhere on migration, often gathering at rubbish dumps. Note Passage hatched; birds in E
Arabia probably Black-eared Kite or hybrid Black x Black-eared Kite.Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius rb
L: 47–60. W: 120–145. Adult immediately told from Black Kite and Black-eared Kite by yellow bill;
also slightly smaller with brighter rufous-brown underparts and more distinctly barred tail, with
slightly deeper fork. Primary pattern below similar to Black Kite, thus lacking the white primary
bases of Black-eared Kite; head brownish (not greyish as in Black Kite). Juvenile sandy-brown
below, streaked darker with quite prominent, lightly barred white bases to primaries – thus more
like Black-eared Kite than Black Kite; bill can be all dark or yellow with black tip. Habitat Villages,
towns, open country with trees, especially palms. Note Breeds S Oman (rare); vagrant Socotra.