![]() leucurus)-both formerly known as "black-shouldered kite". caeruleus) and American white-tailed kite ( E. It has also been called the Australian black-shouldered kite to distinguish it from the Eurasian black-winged kite ( E. "Black-shouldered kite" has been designated the official English name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). The black-shouldered kite has no recognised subspecies. This has been followed by subsequent authorities. axillaris was ambiguous and reinstated the name. Mason refuted Mathews' claim that the original description of E. But in 1980 Australian taxonomists Richard Schodde and Ian J. ![]() ![]() Australian ornithologist Gregory Mathews argued that Latham's description mentioned black axillaries and hence must have referred to the letter-winged kite, and that Watling's drawings were inconclusive. Gould conceded Latham's name was valid and hence had precedence, and E. English zoologist George Robert Gray followed Latham using the binomial Elanus axillaris in 1849. Įnglish naturalist John Gould described the same species as Elanus notatus in 1838 from a specimen from New South Wales, apparently unaware of Latham's description. The species description was based on one of four paintings by Australian painter Thomas Watling of a bird in the Sydney district in the 1790s. He reported the description came from a bird that had been kept for two months in the early colony. Its specific name is derived from the Latin axilla, meaning "armpit", relating to the dark patches under the wings. The black-shouldered kite was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801, as Falco axillaris. Illustration in John Gould's Birds of Australia, 1840s It is rated as least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species. It mainly eats small rodents, particularly the introduced house mouse, and has benefitted from the modification of the Australian landscape by agriculture. The black-shouldered kite hunts in open grasslands, searching for its prey by hovering and systematically scanning the ground. Juveniles disperse widely from their home territory. Chicks are fully fledged within five weeks of hatching and can hunt for mice within a week of leaving the nest. Three or four eggs are laid and incubated for around thirty days. The birds engage in aerial courtship displays which involve high circling flight and ritualised feeding mid-air. The species forms monogamous pairs, breeding between August and January. It can be confused with the related letter-winged kite in Australia, which is distinguished by the striking black markings under its wings. The primary call is a clear whistle, uttered in flight and while hovering. It gains its name from the black patches on its wings. Measuring around 35 cm (14 in) in length, with a wingspan of 80–100 cm (31–39 in), the adult black-shouldered kite has predominantly grey-white plumage and prominent black markings above its red eyes. It resembles similar species found in Africa, Eurasia and North America, including the black-winged kite, a species that has in the past also been called "black-shouldered kite". They sometimes dedicate more than 12 hours a day to treating birds Saud says that he sometimes misses dinner while caring for kites and rarely finds time to play or do homework with his young son.The black-shouldered kite ( Elanus axillaris), also known as the Australian black-shouldered kite, is a small raptor found in open habitats throughout Australia. Shehzad and Saud estimate that they have treated 20,000 black kites in the past 20 years. Near the house, released kites, healthy enough to fly short distances, perch in rows on rooftops and window sills. The largest cage has an open top that fully rehabilitated kites can use as a gate of reentry to the city. The kites that are nursed back to health are brought up three narrow flights of stairs to the roof, where they join several dozen other birds in various states of recovery, packed into three wire cages. Most are gone cases before they enter the basement room others must be euthanised by a veterinarian. Ninety percent of the kites that Saud and Shehzad collect have wings slashed by manja, and about half of these die from gangrene or infection. We have destroyed our relations with our friends, our relatives, our wives, our parents, even our 2- and 4-year-old children
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