Black kite
Scientific name: Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783)
Overview
The black kite or fire kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations. Current global population estimates run up to 6.7 million individuals.
From the Wikipedia article “Black kite”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 56 g |
| Adult weight | 828 g |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Australia; Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); Oceania; Southern Asia.
Common names
Names in other languages (14)
- Arabic
- حدأة سوداء
- Bengali
- ভুবন চিল
- Chinese
- 黑鸢
- French
- Milan noir
- German
- Schwarzer Milan, Schwarzmilan
- Hindi
- काली चील
- Indonesian
- Elang paria
- Japanese
- トビ
- Persian
- کورکور سیاه
- Portuguese
- milhafre-preto
- Russian
- чёрный коршун
- Spanish
- Milano negro
- Turkish
- Kara çaylak
- Urdu
- کالی چیل
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q80362, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Black kite”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Thomas Kraft (ThKraft), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — No machine-readable author provided. Scops~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026