Yellow-billed kite

Yellow-billed kite
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Accipitriformes
Sub-order	Accipitres
Family Information
Superfamily	Accipitroidea
Family	Accipitridae
Sub-family	Milvinae
Genus Information
Genus	Milvus
Species Information
Species	M. aegyptius
Population statistics

The yellow-billed kite (Milvus aegyptius) is a species of bird of prey of the family Accipitridae, and found throughout mush of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite physical and genetic differences between it and the related black kite (Milvus migrans), many authorities do not treat this bird as a distinct species.

Description

The yellow-billed kite is medium sized, with long and narrow wings, a long and shallow split tail, and gracile flight. It has length of 22 inches, and a wingspan of 5ft 3 to 5ft 11 inches; females are slightly larger than males. It is dark brown above, lighter brown to reddish brown below, with medium-gray primary feathers in which the leading half is blackish; the secondaries are light gray. Overall, with the exception of the completely yellow beak, the species is similar to the black kite. The two subspecies differ in color slightly, where M. a. aegyptius is distinctly rust-brown, only slightly streaked on the chest and the color of the head is the same as on the body. The subspecies M. a. parasiticus is more clearly underlined and the head has a gray hue which contrasts with the rest of the plumage. Juveniles are slightly lighter in color, and bear a grayish beak.

The call is described as a shrill cry with wattling.

Subspecies

• Milvus aegyptius aegyptius; Egypt, southwestern Arabian peninsula, coastal northeastern Africa
• Milvus aegyptius parasitus; sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, Comoros and Cape Verde islands

Researchers have continued to place this species as a subspecies of the black kite, with the names Milvus migrans aegyptius and Milvus migrans parasitus, citing problems with genetics.

Habitat and diet

The yellow-billed kite is found in forested landscapes, grasslands and open areas, and places altered by human activity such as plowed fields, villages and towns. It preys upon small game from insects to rodents, flying at low altitudes in search of food. It will take advantage of ground fires which flush out prey, as well as consuming carrion from roadside kills.

Threats

Currently, the neither the IUCN nor BirdLife International recognizes the yellow-billed kite as a distinct species, so it is not placed in any threat category.