This is the third post about raptors seen from the Giant’s Castle vulture hide. The first post was about Jackal buzzards, the second, Bearded vultures and this is about Yellow-billed kites.

“The presence of a single bird can change everything for one who appreciates them.” ~ Julie Zickefoose

Kites and kestrels are both birds of prey, but they belong to different families and have distinct characteristics. Kites are medium to large raptors with long, broad wings and a forked tail, while kestrels are smaller falcons known for their hovering hunting style and pointed wings.

Three species of kite are found in southern Africa, the Yellow-billed, Black and Black-winged (previously Black-shouldered). Both Yellow-billed and Black kites are migratory. Black kites (Milvus migrans) migrate from Europe and parts of Asia to southern Africa, while yellow-billed kites (Milvus aegyptius) are intra-African migrants, meaning they migrate within the continent. In scientific names, “aegyptius” often indicates a connection to Egypt. Accordingly, the yellow-billed kite (Milvus aegyptius) is named for its presence in Egypt and surrounding regions. Yellow-billed kites breed in southern Africa during the summer months (August to March) and then migrate to central-east Africa for the winter (April to July). The Yellow-billed kite is usually one of the first migratory birds to arrive in southern Africa and as such is an early indicator of the arrival of spring.

“Migratory birds connect people, ecosystems, and nations. They are symbols of peace and of an interconnected planet.” ~ Antonio Guterres

The Yellow-billed and Black kite look very similar. Plumage colouration is dark brown though there is hue variation. While generally brown, the head and body are often a lighter shade of brown than their upper parts and wings. The tail is V-shaped. They are medium sized raptors, and although size variation occurs but on average they measure about 55 cms in height and weigh up to one kilogram and their wingspan can reach 1.5 metres.

The key distinguishing feature is the Black kite has a yellow beak with a black tip while the Yellow-bill has a pure yellow beak. Despite looking so similar the Yellow-billed and Black kite are genetically different. The eyes of both the Yellow-billed and Black kite are dark brown.

Yellow-billed kites are opportunistic scavengers. They can often seen hovering and swooping down on roadkill or stealing food from other birds. This raptor’s diet comprises mostly small rodents, frogs and insects. I have seen Yellow-billed kites successfully catching small fish that have come to the surface in the Chobe river. Yellow-billed kites and Lesser Spotted eagles can often be found together feeding on a flying ant emergence. Flying ants emerge on mass from their nests during specific weather conditions in the summer, primarily for mating purposes.

The Yellow-billed kites show their opportunistic scavenging character when they come to the vulture hide specifically to feed on the flesh and fat on the bones we put out on the feeding terrace in front of the hide.

This adult Yellow-billed kite did not seem particularly scared of the much larger Cape vulture close by. This was probably because the Yellow-billed is a smaller and considerably more nimble.

All birds that flew to the feeding terrace shared a common behavioural characteristic. They all landed on the rock ledges at the far end of the feeding terrace to establish whether it was safe to feed in the open on the terrace. Once they had established that the terrace was safe, the Yellow-billed and even the Jackal buzzard would fly across the feeding terrace to within 10 to 15 metres of the hide to feed on the flesh and fat on the bones.

While Yellow-billed kites have talons for grasping prey, their hunting style emphasises speed and agility in the air rather than the strength of their talons. Their diverse diets suggests they don’t need extremely strong talons to take down and subdue large prey. Their agility and maneuverability in flight enable them to snatch prey like insects and small birds while airborne. This is why we never saw a Yellow-billed kite try to fly off with a bone with flesh and fat on it. This species preferred to feed on the nutrients on the bone on the ground.

Yellow-billed kites are known to have a high aspect ratio wing. This means their wings are long and narrow relative to their width. This wing shape enables them to be excellent gliders and soarers allowing them to efficiently use air currents for lift and maneuverability. They can stay aloft for extended periods with minimal effort, conserve energy, and cover long distances.

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” ~ David Attenborough

The large forked tail of the Yellow-billed kite plays a crucial role in its agility and maneuverability during flight. The tail acts like a rudder, allowing the kite to make precise adjustments in direction and speed. A necessary requirement in the turbulence of the updrafts.

While generally seen alone, this species of kite can congregate in large numbers at certain times, when food is abundant. Such instances are during the impala lambing season when they try to feed on the afterbirth, or flying ant emergences, or even mass fish hatching where the young fish come to the surface for the higher oxygen levels and to gulp air to fill their swim bladders (for buoyancy).

I have never seen inter species fighting on the feeding terrace. The larger raptor usually forces the smaller bird to retreat without physical interaction. That said, Peter Steyn relates several incidents of having once witnessed two Yellow-billed kites collaboratively attacking an African Fish-Eagle, forcing this big raptor to abandon its meal, while on another occasion they took a 15-cm barbel out of the beak of a Woolly-necked Stork.(www.bird.krugerpark.co.za).

A view of the ridge looking west down on the vulture hide which is positioned among the rocks on the right hand side in the distant foreground. The openness, big sky and vast vistas make this place endlessly fascinating.

It is only when you look closer at the features of this species of kite do you realise its superb physiological and behavioural adaptation to its environment.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ~ Albert Einstein

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike