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Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)

Black Kite (Milvus migrans) - HBW 2, p. 118

French: Milan noir German: Schwarzmilan Spanish: Milano Negro
Other common names: Black-eared/Eared/Large Indian Kite (lineatus); Pariah/Indian Kite (govinda); Yellow-billed Kite (aegyptius, parasitus); Fork-tailed Kite (affinis)

Taxonomy: Falco migrans Boddaert, 1783, France.
Hybridizes with M. milvus on Cape Verde Is. Several of races frequently awarded separate species status, most notably lineatus and aegyptius (incorporating parasitus); intergradation indicates probably best regarded as single species, with several well marked races. Seven subspecies normally recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • migrans (Boddaert, 1783) - NW Africa and Europe E to C Asia (Tien Shan) and S to Pakistan; winters S to Africa S of Sahara.
  • lineatus (J. E. Gray, 1831) - Siberia E to Amurland and Japan S to N India, N Burma and N China and Ryukyu Is; winters S to S Iraq, S India and SE Asia.
  • formosanus Nagamichi Kuroda, 1920 - Taiwan and Hainan (S China).

     See all 7 subspecies
  • migrans (Boddaert, 1783) - NW Africa and Europe E to C Asia (Tien Shan) and S to Pakistan; winters S to Africa S of Sahara.
  • lineatus (J. E. Gray, 1831) - Siberia E to Amurland and Japan S to N India, N Burma and N China and Ryukyu Is; winters S to S Iraq, S India and SE Asia.
  • formosanus Nagamichi Kuroda, 1920 - Taiwan and Hainan (S China).
  • govinda Sykes, 1832 - E Pakistan E through India and Sri Lanka to Indochina and Malay Peninsula.
  • affinis Gould, 1838 - Sulawesi and possibly Lesser Sunda Is; E New Guinea and New Britain; N Australia S (in E) to Victoria.
  • aegyptius (Gmelin, 1788) - Egypt, SW Arabia and coastal E Africa S to Kenya.
  • parasitus (Daudin, 1800) - Africa S of Sahara, Cape Verde Is, Comoro Is and Madagascar.

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