Black kite
Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783)
The black kite (Milvus migrans) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 828 g. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the black kite
- Weight
- 828 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.52 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
How big is the black kite?
Photos of the black kite
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the black kite live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The black kite is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
What is the black kite?
The black kite or fire 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. Current global population estimates run up to 6.7 million individuals.
Unlike others of the group, black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend much of their time gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify. They are vociferous with a distinct shrill whinnying call.
The black kite is widely distributed through temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia and parts of Australasia and Oceania. Temperate populations tend to be migratory. Several subspecies are recognized, with several having previously had English names. The European populations are small, but the South Asian population is comparatively very large.
From the Wikipedia article “Black kite” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_kite&oldid=1380538340), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the black kite endangered?
The black kite is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the black kite classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae
- genusMilvus
- SpeciesMilvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783)
Synonyms Falco ater, Falco migrans, Milvus ater, Milvus korschun, Milvus korshun
Other names and names in other languages (132)
- BLKIEnglish
- SwartwouAfrikaans
- الحدأةArabic
- حدأة سوداءArabic
- Alforocho negroAragonese
- حداه سوداءEgyptian Arabic
- চিলনীAssamese
- milán prietuAsturian
- Qara çalağanAzerbaijani
- ТөйлөгәнBashkir
- NpokolonBambara
- Schworzer MilanBavarian
- Каршун чорныBelarusian
- Чорны каршунBelarusian
- Черна каняBulgarian
- ভুবন চিলBangla
- Barged duBreton
- milà negreCatalan
- Ӏаьржа гӀиргӀаChechen
- ӓмӹртMari
- Шим ӓмӹртMari
- Хура хӗренChuvash
- Хура хĕренChuvash
- Қартығаcjs
- Milvu neruCorsican
- luňák hnědýCzech
- barcud duWelsh
- Barcud clustdduWelsh
- Barcutiaid DuWelsh
- sort glenteDanish
- SchwarzmilanGerman
- schwarzer MilanGerman
- ΤσίφτηςGreek
- nigra milvoEsperanto
- Milano negroSpanish
- must-harksabaEstonian
- miru beltzBasque
- کورکور سیاهPersian
- haarahaukkaFinnish
- SvartgleðaFaroese
- Milan noirFrench
- Swarte GleeWestern Frisian
- Cúr dubhIrish
- Cúr cluadubhIrish
- Cúr DhubhIrish
- Miñato negroGalician
- Miñato queimadoGalician
- Fammanmooar dooManx
- સમડીGujarati
- ShirwaHausa
- דיה מצויהHebrew
- דיה שחורהHebrew
- काली चीलHindi
- barna kányaHungarian
- Սև ցինArmenian
- Elang pariaIndonesian
- VatnagleðaIcelandic
- nibbio brunoItalian
- トビJapanese
- トンビJapanese
- ძერაGeorgian
- შავი ძერაGeorgian
- КъашыргъэщхьэхуKabardian
- Тигілгенkjn
- Қара кезкұйрықKazakh
- Қара кезқұйрықKazakh
- ಕಪ್ಪು ಗಾಳಿಪಟKannada
- 솔개Korean
- Schwaarze MilanLuxembourgish
- Schwaarze SchéierschwanzLuxembourgish
- ТалгуLezghian
- ЧӀулав чалагъанLezghian
- NgóbeLingala
- juodasis peslysLithuanian
- melnā klijaLatvian
- melnā klījaLatvian
- PapangoMalagasy
- BemananaMalagasy
- HitsikitsikaMalagasy
- TsimalahoMalagasy
- црна луњаMacedonian
- ചക്കിപ്പരുന്ത്Malayalam
- Astun IswedMaltese
- Хар элээMongolian
- घारMarathi
- Burung Helang Kembara HitamMalay
- MilhafreMirandese
- कालो चीलNepali
- zwarte wouwDutch
- svartglenteNorwegian
- ମାଟିଆ ଚିଲOdia
- kania czarnaPolish
- ڡڈی اِلھWestern Panjabi
- تور ټپوسPashto
- FalcãoPortuguese
- milhafre-pretoPortuguese
- Milan stgirRomansh
- gaia brunăRomanian
- Gaie neagrăRomanian
- цыплятникRussian
- Чёрный коршунRussian
- черный коршунRussian
- Коршун чорныйRusyn
- RuškessuorrehávutNorthern Sami
- ruškessuorrefálliNorthern Sami
- haja tmaváSlovak
- črni škarnikSlovenian
- سرڻSindhi
- qifti zeshkanAlbanian
- huta e zezë bishtgërshërëAlbanian
- kaçubeti zeshkanAlbanian
- kaçybeti zeshkanAlbanian
- Crna lunjaSerbian
- brun gladaSwedish
- Mwewe Domo-jeusiSwahili
- கரும்பருந்துTamil
- ஊர்ப் பருந்துTamil
- Кара тилгәнTatar
- గద్దTelugu
- เหยี่ยวดำThai
- Itim na saranggolaFilipino
- kara caylakTurkish
- kara çaylakTurkish
- ДээлдигенTuvinian
- Сьӧд душесUdmurt
- Чорний шулікаUkrainian
- Шуліка чорнийUkrainian
- Diều hâu đenVietnamese
- 麻鷹Chinese
- 黑耳鷹Chinese
- 黑鳶Chinese
- 黑鸢Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the black kite
Other species in the same genus Milvus.
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CompareBlack kite vs Red kiteBlack kite vs Yellow-billed kiteBlack kite vs Red kite x black kite
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the black kite?
An adult black kite weighs 828 g and has a wingspan of 1.52 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the black kite live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the black kite for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the black kite endangered?
The black kite is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the black kite?
The black kite (Milvus migrans) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Black kite (Milvus migrans). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-kite
“Black kite (Milvus migrans).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-kite.
@misc{black_kite_2026,
title = {Black kite (Milvus migrans)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-kite},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}