What to Know the about Black Kite in Uganda?

The Black Kite in Uganda is one of the African birds of Uganda seen during a Uganda birding safari. The black kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, Kingdom-Animalia, Phylum-Chordata, and the subphylum-vertebrata.

Black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. The body length of a black kite ranges from 47 to 60 cm, wingspan of 140 to 150 cm and weight is 560 g and the black kite can live up to 24 years in the wild.

How Does the Black Kite in Uganda Look Like?

Black kites are raptors with mostly brown coloration, which fades to a duller brown near the tips of the wings and tail.

The head of black kites is faint brown or grey and their eyes are small, bead-like dark brown eyes.  A large black, very sharp hook-shaped bill for tearing flesh and consuming prey.

Its highly identified for its yellow cere on the nostrils near the bills. Black kites are sometimes called fork-tailed kites because their tail feathers are split, forming a V-shape.

They have pale yellow legs and long black talons for catching and holding prey.

How Does the Black-kite in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

Black kites have a characteristic shrill whistle and a rapid whinnying call. Singing very loudly with other black kites.

Their squawk starts out as a long haggard “kleee-errr” sound, then changes into a shriller “keee-keee-keee” call.

They make calls with each other using high pitches for a variety of different situations, such as breeding, at roosting sites, or even during group hunting.

Black kites use these calls during pre- and post-breeding to communicate with mates. Black kites even appear to be able to communicate with red kites in captivity.

Sight is well-developed, allowing them to see prey at great distances.

How Does the Black-kite in Uganda Feed?

A black kite is a carnivore scavenger, a flesh eater that feeds on birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, eggs, carrions and insects.

It quests for food, but frequently act as scavengers, stealing eggs from fellow kites for food and scavenge carcasses of any fresh.

Black kites hook and eat their prey by using their sharp talons to dig into and pull apart the prey both in aerial and ground attacks.

They also often rely on the thermal air currents to aid in their attempt to locate food.

How Does the Black-kite in Uganda Nest?

Black kites occupy a wide variety of territories. Most are found in open areas where there is close access to water bodies such as rivers, ponds, or lakes.

Black kites are usually found along river edges, which provide necessary resources such as fresh water and fish.

Black kite nests tend to be placed 8 to 15 m above ground, in forests with close proximity to water or in areas with little tree cover.

Black kites prefer mid-canopy parts of trees, but have been seen as high as 30 m. Occasionally, black kite’s nests maybe located near nests of the closely related red kite.

How Does the Black kite in Uganda Breed?

Black kites are monogamous breeders, with a single mate at a time and may even pair for life, although there has been some debate.

Black kites have a ritualized aerial courtship, which consists of extremely loud calls to one another. They also perform a dangerous display known as grappling, where they lock their feet together in mid-air and begin to spiral towards the ground. Ritual courtship behaviors typically begin in March.

Black kites breed seasonally between the months of March and August, though this period varies slightly with geographic location.

Nest construction follows pair-formation in March, and egg laying occurs between April and May.

How Does the Black kite in Uganda Reproduce?

Black kites lay between 2 to 3 eggs each year. Occasionally they will lay as few as one or as many as five. Eggs are typically off-white in color, decorated with brown, freckled spots.

Incubation averages 32 days. After hatching, the young stay in the nest with the parents for 42 to 56 days.

On average, fledged young are protected and cared for by both parents for an additional 15 to 56 days, or until the young are self-reliant.