Black-shouldered kite

Description

The adult black-shouldered kite is around 35 cm (14 in) in length,with a wingspan of between 80 and 100 cm (31 and 39 in).The female is slightly heavier,weighing on average around 300 g (11 oz) compared to the male's average weight of 260 g (9.2 oz).The sexes have similar plumage.The crown,neck and upperparts are pale grey,while the head and underparts are white.A black comma-shaped marking lies in front of and stretches over and behind the eye,which is deep red and surrounded by a black orbital ring.The leading edge of the outer wing is black.When perched,this gives the species its prominent black "shoulders".The central rectrices of the tail are pale grey,while the rest of the tail feathers are white.The bill is short with a sharp,hooked tip to the upper mandible.Its nostrils and the cere are bright or dull yellow and the bill is black.The legs and feet are also yellow or golden-yellow,and the feet have three toes facing forwards and one toe facing backwards.The juvenile has a white forehead and chin and rusty brown neck,nape and breast with darker streaks.The back and wings are mottled buff or brown.There is a less distinctive dark shoulder patch,but a larger comma-shaped patch over the eyes.The eyes themselves are dark brown.The bill is black with a horn-coloured cere.Black-shouldered kites spiral into the wind like a kestrel.They soar with v-shaped up-curved wings,the primaries slightly spread and the tail widely fanned,giving the tail a squarer appearance and visible 'fingers' on the wings.In level flight progress is rather indirect.Their flight pattern has been described as 'winnowing' with soft steady beats interspersed with long glides on angled wings.They can most often be seen hovering with wings curved and tail pointing down.The black-shouldered kite is very similar to the related letter-winged kite (E.scriptus),but has the black mark above and behind the eye,a white rather than grey crown,and shows all-white underparts in flight except for the black markings on the shoulder,dark wingtips,and a small black patch on the underwing.It is slightly larger than the nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides).The latter species lacks wing markings and has pale brown plumage.It keeps its wings level when soaring,and has a faster wingbeat when hovering.The grey falcon (Falco hypoleucos) has somewhat similar coloration to the black-shouldered kite but is bulkier and heavier overall and lacks the black markings.Its wings are barred and it preys on birds.The grey goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae) has wider more rounded wings,underwing markings and glides with lowered wings.