A familiar raptor in Japan, with long wings and a long tail that has a shallow notch at its tip.
The notch in the tail is useful for identification in flight. At rest, it perches with the body held upright.
Breeding black kites in Doñana, Spain, carried white plastic and other objects to their nests before laying. Both sexes participated. Comparisons with available litter, and an experiment offering materials equally, showed a preference for white plastic.
A 2011 study examined 127 nests of known-age birds; about 77% contained decorations. Birds around 7–12 years old decorated more than young or old birds. Experimentally increasing decorations attracted more intrusions. Prime-age birds responded with increased attacks. These associations and experimental responses support an interpretation of decoration as a signal to other kites.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Spain’s 2004 bird Red Book identifies poisoning, habitat destruction, electrocution and contamination as threats to black kites. Proposed measures include restoring riverside nesting woodland, limiting pesticides, preventing illegal killing and nest destruction, and identifying and protecting major roosts and their surroundings.