is noteworthy and is commonly observed in other areas. Temminck's 
Homed Lark Eremophila bilopha was also numerous in the area, while 
only a few Hoopoe Larks Calandrella cinerea were seen. All four species 
were actively engaged in song flights and defending territories. 
This is the first known breeding of Dunn's Lark in Egypt. The plentiful 
rains of the previous winter, reported by locals, perhaps encouraged 
this nomadic species to nest in the area, but it is most likely that it has 
been overlooked in the past, and it is expected to be found elsewhere 
in north Sinai. 
References 
GcxDDMAN, SM and Meininger, PL (eds) 1989. The Birds of Egypt. Oxford 
University Press, Oxford. 
Takholm, V 1974. Student's Flora of Egypt. 2nd edition. Cairo University, Cairo. 
SherifM Baha El Din, Executive Business Services, Cairo Marriott 
Hotel PO Box 33, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt 
Behaviour and status of Black- 
winged Kite in Egypt 
Derek } Evans 
On 27 June 1989, 1 stopped towards sunset at Sadat City, 80 km from 
Cairo on the desert road to Alexandria. This is a 'new town', developed 
on land reclaimed from the desert. To advertise its presence, lawns, 
shrubs and trees have been planted along the main desert highway 
which runs to the south of the town. 
House Sparrows Passer domesticus were gathering to roost in a Une of 
ornamental bushes, when a Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus flew 
horizontally at great speed into the centre of a thick bush, and emerged 
clutching a sparrow. The raptor flew from the panic stricken roost to 
a nearby telegraph pole to consume its prey. 
The Birds of Egypt refers to a recent recovery in numbers of Black- 
winged Kites in Egypt since an apparent decline perhaps caused by 
pesticides. My own observations during the last three years confirm 
the species to be fairly common and widespread in the Nile Valley and 
Delta. However, The Birds of Egypt also refers to the population at Wadi 
el Natrun, a desert oasis 15 km west of Sadat City as 'presumed to be 
locally extirpated'. The observations recorded here maybe interesting 
28 
