Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Black Kite Milvus migrans (del Hoyo et al. 2014) has been split into M. migrans and Yellow-billed Kite M. aegyptius (Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International 2020).
Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius (with subspecies parasitus) differs from M. migrans by its
• Yellow vs black bill (3);
• Dark vs pale iris in adult state (2);
• Head and nape concolorous with upper body vs pale grey streaked black, contrasting with dark brown mantle (2);
• Finer black streaking below (ns[2])
• Wing (from BWP2) male 423 (7.6; n9) vs 447 (10.5; n15), effect size 2.62 (2).
Some Arabian birds (treated as arabicus in some places but synonymised with aegyptius in the Checklist) show some features of migrans (Forsman 2016).
Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2020. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 5. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Least Concern | |
| 2020 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Not Recognised | |
| 2012 | Not Recognised | |
| 2008 | Not Recognised | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | low |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 115,653,659 km2 | |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 135,760,673 km2 | |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 4000000 - 5700000 mature individuals | poor | suspected | 2021 |
| Population trend | stable | - | suspected | - |
| Generation length | 9.28 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 186,000-254,000 breeding pairs, equating to 372,000-507,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International in prep.). Europe forms approximately 9% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 4,100,000-5,600,000 mature individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed. It is placed in the band 4,000,000-5,700,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification: Despite being possibly the most common raptor in the world, the population has declined owing to poisoning, shooting, pollution of water and over-use of pesticides. Modernisation of urban environments and agricultural improvements are also thought to be causing declines locally (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). However, in Europe the current population trend is stable or increasing in the three countries with the largest populations (over 90% of the total in the European Union) (BirdLife International in prep.). Outside Europe the overall trend is suspected to be overall stable: it is stable in India (State of India's Birds 2020), and has been increasing in Australia (Global Raptor Information Network 2015), but suspected to be declining in China and possible elsewhere in Asia (Global Raptor Information Network 2015).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Albania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Algeria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Angola | extant | native | yes | |||
| Armenia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Australia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bahrain | extant | native | ||||
| Bangladesh | extant | native | yes | |||
| Belarus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | |||
| Benin | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bhutan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extant | native | yes | |||
| Botswana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Brunei | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | extant | native | yes | |||
| Burundi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cambodia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cameroon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cape Verde | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Central African Republic | extant | native | yes | |||
| Chad | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Comoros | extant | native | yes | |||
| Congo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extant | native | yes | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | native | yes | |||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Czechia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | |||
| Djibouti | extant | native | yes | |||
| Egypt | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Equatorial Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Eritrea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Estonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Eswatini | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ethiopia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Finland | extant | native | yes | |||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Gabon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gambia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Georgia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ghana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guam (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Hungary | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iceland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| India | extant | native | yes | |||
| Indonesia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ireland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Israel | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Italy | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Japan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Jordan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kenya | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kuwait | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Laos | extant | native | yes | |||
| Latvia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lebanon | extant | native | ||||
| Lesotho | extant | native | yes | |||
| Liberia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Libya | extant | native | yes | |||
| Liechtenstein | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lithuania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Luxembourg | extant | native | yes | |||
| Madagascar | presence uncertain | native | yes | |||
| Malawi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malaysia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mali | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malta | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mauritania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mayotte (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Moldova | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mongolia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | |||
| Morocco | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mozambique | extant | native | yes | |||
| Myanmar | extant | native | yes | |||
| Namibia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nepal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | |||
| Niger | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nigeria | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Korea | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Oman | extant | native | ||||
| Pakistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Palau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Palestine | extant | native | yes | |||
| Papua New Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Philippines | extant | native | yes | |||
| Poland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Qatar | extant | native | yes | |||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Rwanda | extant | native | yes | |||
| São Tomé e Príncipe | extant | native | yes | |||
| Saudi Arabia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Senegal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Seychelles | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sierra Leone | extant | native | yes | |||
| Singapore | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovakia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Somalia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| South Africa | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Korea | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Sudan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sri Lanka | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sudan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | |||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Syria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Taiwan, China | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tajikistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tanzania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Thailand | extant | native | yes | |||
| Timor-Leste | extant | native | yes | |||
| Togo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tunisia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uganda | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | extant | native | yes | |||
| United Kingdom | extant | vagrant | ||||
| United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Uzbekistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Vietnam | extant | native | yes | |||
| Western Sahara | extant | native | yes | |||
| Yemen | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Zambia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Zimbabwe | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Rural Gardens | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | suitable | resident |
| Desert | Hot | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Temperate | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | resident |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | suitable | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | resident |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | suitable | resident |
| Savanna | Dry | suitable | resident |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | resident |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 4900 m | Occasional altitudinal limits | (max) 5300 m |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Scale Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Persecution/control | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | No decline | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Pollution | Garbage & solid waste | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | No decline | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Transportation & service corridors | Utility & service lines | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Black Kite Milvus migrans. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-kite-milvus-migrans on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.