lagoon creek - black-shouldered kite

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It's not often you see them on the ground.

Black-shouldered Kite
Scientific Name: Elanus axillaris
Description: Black-shouldered Kites are medium to small raptors (birds of prey), and are mostly pale grey above, with a pure white head, body and tail and black shoulders. The wings are white underneath, with black wing tips and the wing span is 80 cm to 100 cm. Females are larger than males. The red eye is marked by a black comma that extends behind it. The nostrils are yellow and the legs and feet are also yellow. The Black-shouldered Kite has a direct flight with quick shallow wing beats interspersed with glides on upswept wings (like a seagull), and is often seen hovering, with feet dangling.
Similar species: The Black-shouldered Kite is very similar to the related raptor (bird of prey) species, the Letter-winged Kite, E. scriptus, but has a distinctive black comma shape above and behind the eye, lacks the black underwing 'w' or 'm' pattern, and has a white rather than grey crown. The Letter-winged Kite also has a slower, deeper wing beat when flying.
Distribution: The Black-shouldered Kite is found across mainland Australia.
Habitat: The Black-shouldered Kite is found in treed grasslands and on farms, along roads, and in vacant waste lands of urban and coastal areas.
Seasonal movements: Nomadic; populations may irrupt in response to mouse plagues in particular areas.
Feeding: The Black-shouldered Kite feeds mainly on rodents, particularly the introduced House Mouse, Mus musculus, often following mouse plagues in agricultural areas. Also will eat insects such as grasshoppers. It prefers to hunt during the day, particularly early morning and late afternoon, often hovering with its wings held upright in a V-shape, before dropping down and grabbing prey with its talons. Prey items are eaten while flying or on a perch, which can be a high tree or an artificial structure, e.g. a powerpole.
Breeding: The Black-shouldered Kite forms monogamous pairs. During courtship, the male will feed the female in mid-air: she will flip upside down and take food with her feet from his, while both are flying. Both sexes build the nest, which is a large untidy shallow cup of sticks, on high tree or on an artificial structure such as a bridge or power pole. The young birds can feed themselves seven days after fledging and leave their parents within a month.
Calls: Harsh wheezing 'scaarrp'; also clear 'chee' calls in flight and while hovering.
Minimum Size: 33cm
Maximum Size: 38cm
Average size: 36cm
Average weight: 291g
Breeding season: July to December
Clutch Size: 2 to 5 eggs
Incubation: 34 days
Nestling Period: 38 days
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Elanus-axillaris)
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© Chris Burns 2025

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Taken in: Australia / Queensland / Barcaldine (show map)

Taken on: July 23, 2017

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Black-shouldered Kite

Elanus axillaris

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Australian bird

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