170 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



by complete moult beginning in May and extending to autumn 

 but no winter adults have been available for examination. 



Nestling. — Down when very young indistinguishable from 

 that of M. milvus. Later there grows very thickly all over the 

 body a shorter, coarser down (c) without long silky hair-like tips, 

 grey on upper-parts, rufous-buff on under-parts but pale grey on 

 crown and throat. Here and there especially on belly down (c) 

 replaces a short down (b) as in Peregrine (see p. 108). 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts very dark brown, feathers with black 

 shafts and rufous-buff to whitish tips ; longer and paler (usually 

 whitish) on crown, nape and lesser wing-coverts ; under-parts paler 

 brown, feathers with yellowish-buff wedge-shaped tips often con- 

 tinued in a but! central streak varying individually but widest and 

 most prominent on upper-breast ; tail- and wing-feathers as adult 

 but tipped buff and basal portions of inner webs whitish or white. 



First winter. — The juvenile plumage commences to moult in 

 December, new feathers sometimes like adult but usually more 

 rufous on nape and breast. Moult seems confined to body and 

 not all body-feathers are moulted apparently. First summer. — 

 A complete moult commences in April after which bird appears 

 to become indistinguishable from adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 417-452 mm., tail : 

 central feathers 200-235, outermost 230-260 (depth of fork 20-40), 

 tarsus 53-60, bill from cere 24-27 (12 measured). ? wing 430-465. 

 Primaries : 1st equal to or slightly longer or shorter than 7th, 

 4th longest, 3rd as long or 5-20 mm. shorter, 2nd 30-50 shorter, 

 5th 5-20 shorter, 6th 50-80 shorter ; 2nd to 5th emarginated outer 

 webs and 6th very slightly, 1st to 5th abruptly emarginated and 

 attenuated inner webs. Rest of structure as Milvus milvus. 



Soft parts. — Bill horn-black ; base of lower mandible, cere, legs 

 and feet orange ; claws black ; iris greyish. 



Characters and allied forms. — M. m. cegyptius (Egypt) has 

 darker crown, rather more deeply forked tail and adult has yellow 

 bill ; M. m. govinda (India) has darker crown and under-parts, 

 and whiter bases of primaries than in M . m. migrans but black bill. 

 Black Kite is easily distinguished from Kite by smaller size, much 

 less deeply forked tail and darker colour. 



Field-characters. — Recognizable at once by shape of tail as a 

 Kite, but cleft not nearly so deep as in Red Kite. It is also slightly 

 smaller and has a dingier appearance, though varying individually, 

 some being very dark. Viewed from below lacks whitish patch 

 on primaries. Flight easy and gliding, in habits sociable, often 

 being met with in large flocks and breeding almost in colonies. 

 A much noisier bird than Red Kite, with a peculiar " whinnying " 

 note, frequently uttered during breeding-season. Fond of hawking 

 over lakes, large rivers and estuaries, being an expert surface fisher. 

 (F.C.R.J.) 



