Black-winged Kite

Habitat: Open areas with scattered trees, forest edges.

Appearance: Widespread in tropical regions of Asia and Africa, but rare in savannahs, steppes and semi-deserts. In Europe, a scarce resident bird on the Iberian Peninsula (clearly expanding as a result of the destruction of Iberian oak forests and their undergrowth). Breeding bird in Portugal, western Spain and south-western France. Occasionally wanders along the coast of Denmark. In Belgium and the Netherlands, it is a vagrant.

Breeding season: Usually February to July. Builds a nest, which is usually located low among the thorn bushes. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs (rarely the male, who provides the female with food). 3 to 4 eggs.

Characteristics: Length 31-35 cm, wingspan 80-89 cm, weight 260 grams, age 6-15 years.

Food: Small rodents, lizards, insects. Preferably grasshoppers, which the bird hunts from a lookout post or while hovering. A breeding pair is very territorial, but the brownish young birds like to follow the swarms of migratory grasshoppers.