Since 2012, the Black-winged Kite has been known in Hungary as a rare vagrant. This bird of prey, similar in size to a Common Kestrel but with a more robust build, stocky frame, and very striking appearance, has been seen several times in the Körös-Maros National Park since 2022. This summer, it advanced to become Hungary's newest breeding bird species by building a nest and successfully raising young in the region, the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society revealed.
An interesting aspect of the species' presence is that since 2022, it has always been observed in the same area -- near the Fehér Lake in Kardoskút, on the outskirts of Hódmezővásárhely (southeastern Hungary) -- regardless of the season. Another consistent feature in all observations over the past three years is that only a single individual was recorded by experts each time.
On May 8 of this year, the species reappeared in the area and was seen and photographed on multiple occasions until the end of the month. After May, no further sightings occurred until summer, when Éva Horváth (Széltapogatók Nonprofit Ltd.) discovered its nest in a small group of trees within the mentioned area.
From the pair's clutch of four eggs, two chicks successfully hatched.
As the breeding season progressed, the chicks were fitted with ornithological ID rings by late August, and both adult birds were successfully tagged as well.
The Black-winged Kite is a breeding bird of savanna-like areas, preferring open habitats interspersed with wooded pastures. Its diet consists mainly of common voles and small mammals, but it also feeds on insects, lizards, and occasionally songbirds. It is common in parts of Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, and has significant breeding populations in Portugal, Spain, and France. Across Europe, the species appears regularly in many countries, and vagrants have reached as far as the United Kingdom.
Via mme.hu, Featured image: Wikipedia