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The Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) has a striking call, and get their name from its loud whistling call that starts from a clear whistle, then descends down the scale, and is followed by an up-scale staccato chatter.

It is a medium-sized day time raptor it is often seen up in the skies above Alice Springs. The female are larger and heavier in build to the male.

Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Immature Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Immature Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) by Dorothy Latimer
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs NT

Check out our Birds section for more info on the Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus).

Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
Juvenile Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT
  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Accipitriformes
  • Family: Accipitridae
  • Genus: Haliastur
  • Species: Haliastur sphenurus

Alice Springs BirdsAlice Springs Birds — Index Babblers Black-faced Cuckooshrike Brown Falcon Channel-billed Cuckoo Crested Pigeon Galah Magpie-lark Musk Duck Port Lincoln Ringneck Rainbow Bee-eater Sacred Kingfisher Sanderling Singing Honeyeater Southern Boobook Spinifex Pigeon Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Splendid Fairy-wren Spotted Dove Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-plumed Honeyeater Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Miner

Alice Springs FaunaAlice Springs Native Bees Alice Springs Beetles Alice Springs Birds Alice Springs Birds — Index Alice Springs — Babblers Alice Springs — Black-faced Cuckooshrike Alice Springs — Brown Falcon Alice Springs — Channel-billed Cuckoo Alice Springs — Crested Pigeon Alice Springs — Galah Alice Springs — Magpie-lark Alice Springs — Musk Duck Alice Springs — Port Lincoln Ringneck Alice Springs — Rainbow Bee-eater Alice Springs — Sacred Kingfisher Alice Springs — Sanderling Alice Springs — Singing Honeyeater Alice Springs — Southern Boobook Alice Springs — Spinifex Pigeon Alice Springs — Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Alice Springs — Splendid Fairy-wren Alice Springs — Spotted Dove Alice Springs — Wedge-tailed Eagle Alice Springs — Western Bowerbird Alice Springs — Whistling Kite Alice Springs — White-plumed Honeyeater Alice Springs — Willie Wagtail Alice Springs — Yellow-throated Miner Alice Springs Gastropods (Gastropoda) Ambigolimax spp (Keelback Slug) Granulomelon adcockianum (Camaenid Land Snail) Alice Springs Insects Antlion (Heoclisis fundata) Alice Springs Ants (Formicidae) Camponotus novaehollandiae group Alice Springs Bees Amegilla Bee Braunsapis sp Bright-white Masked Bee Bush Bee Ceylalictus perditellus European Honey Bee Euryglossinae Exoneurella eremophila Furrow Bee Golden-browed Resin Bee Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) eremaean Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Lasioglossum (Homalictus) on Eucalyptus orbifolia Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum Lasioglossum (Homalictus) urbanum Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) Lipotriches Megachile deanii Red-headed Masked Bee Stenotritidae genus Stenotritus Xanthesma (Xenohesma) Alice Springs Beetles Index Bisallardiana sp Blaps polychresta Bolboceratidae Calosoma oceanicum Calosoma schayeri Carphurus (Soft-winged Flower Beetle) Cassidini Chalcophorotaenia Chlorobapta frontalis Coccinella transversalis (Transverse Ladybird) Colpochila Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mealybug Destroyer Beetle) Cybister tripunctatus (Three-punctured Diving Beetle) Dicranolaius bellulus (Red and Blue Beetle) Enochrus (Water Scavenger Beetle) Eretes australis (Padded Diving Beetle) Fungus Weevil (Dendropemon subfasciatus) Hydrophilus brevispina Lepidiota Merimna atrata Neospades sp Pachydissus (Longhorn Beetles) Paropsisterna laesa (Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle) Phoracantha punctata (Longhorn Beetle) Phorticosomus sp Phoracantha recurva (Eucalyptus Longhorn Beetle) Prioninae subfamily Protaetia fusca (Mottled Flower Scarab) Pterohelaeus sp (Blue Pie-dish Beetles) Scarabaeinae (Dung Beetles) Alice Springs Blattodea Alice Springs Blattodea Index Alice Springs Calolampra sp Alice Springs Desmozosteria cincta Alice Springs Ellipsidion australe Alice Springs Ellipsidion humarale Alice Springs Johnrehnia Alice Springs Pycnoscelus sp Alice Springs Butterflies & Moths (Lepidopterans) Alice Springs Butterflies Blue Moon Butterfly Caper White Butterfly, Egg and Instar Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) Glasswing (Acraea andromacha) Lesser Wanderer (Danaus petilia) Meadow Argus (Junonia villida calybe) Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) Two-spotted Line-blue Butterfly (Nacaduba biocellata) Alice Springs Moths Aedia leucomelas (Sweet Potato Leaf Worm) Arhodia lasiocamparia Agrotis munda (Brown Cutworm Moth) Australian Striped Hawk Moth (Hyles livornicoides) Bag-shelter Moth & Processionary Caterpillar Carpenter Moth (Endoxyla cinereus) Chasmina pulchra (White Beauty) Cleora (Geometer Moth) Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli) Giant Wood Moth (Endoxyla cinereus) Dasypodia selenophora (Southern Old Lady Moth) Destolinia lineata (Caterpillar of the Streaked Notodontid) Diatenes gerula (Erebid Moth) Dichromodes sp (Geometer Moth) Endoxyla Moth (family Cossidae) Gelechioid Moth Godart’s Hawkmoth (Agrius godarti) Helicoverpa punctigera (Australian Fruitworm) Laced Day-Moth (Ipanica cornigera) Leptocneria binotata Mocis alterna (Bean Looper Moth) Niguza spiramioides Owlet Moth (Eudesmeola lawsoni) Owlet Moth (Ophiusa parcemacula) Plume Moth (Pterophoridae) Sameodes cancellalis (Banded Pearl) Yeperenye / Yipirinya Alice Springs Cicadas Alice Springs Coleoptera Alice Springs Diptera Alice Springs Green Blowfly Alice Springs Bee Flies Anthrax sp (Bee Fly) Australiphthiria sp (Bee Fly) Balaana abscondita Ligyra cingulata Neosardus sp Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) Microtropesa sp (Tachinid Fly) Mydas Fly, Miltinus sp Robber Fly, Bathypogon sp Rutilia sp Soldier Flies (Odontomyia) Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Odontomyia decipiens Opaluma (Australian Soldier Fly) Stiletto Fly (Agapophytus yeatesi) Yellow-shouldered Hover Fly, Ischiodon scutellaris Alice Springs Dragonflies Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum caledonicum) Scarlet Percher (Diplacodes haematodes) Alice Springs Mantodea – Mantises Alice Springs Gyromantis Alice Springs Orthoptera – Orthopteroids Acrida conica Common Bandwing Grasshopper (Pycnostictus seriatus) Coryphistes sp (Bark Mimic Grasshopper) Garden Mantis Giant Grasshopper Valanga irregularis nymph Valanga irregularis as prey Spur-throated Locust Variable Stropis (Stropis nigrovitellina) Woodger’s Gumleaf Katydid (Terpandrus) Alice Springs True Bugs (Heteroptera) Aphylidae (Pentatomoid Bug) Eucalyptus Tip-wilting Bug Ground Shield Bug (Choerocoris paganus) Ippatha australiensis Poecilometis patruelis (Shield Bug) Soapberry Bugs, Leptocoris sp Spilostethus sp Alice Springs Water Scorpion Alice Springs Wasps Abispa ephippium Agriomyia maculata Bembicinae Bembecinus Bembix Bethylidae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Cryptocheilus Cryptocheilus bicolor Cryptocheilus bicolor with Prey (Neosparassus sp) Delta latreillei Delta philantes Eumeninae Liris (Wasp) Mutillidae Mud Nests and Potter Wasps Orchid Dupe Wasp Paralastor (Potter Wasp) Pison Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Sceliphron laetum Sphex (Wasp) Thynnid Flower Wasps Thynnid Wasp – Female Velvet Ants Velvet Ant (Tribe Dasymutillini) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris radula) Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp (Radumeris tasmaniensis) Alice Springs Marsupials Black-footed Rock Wallaby Euro Alice Springs Reptiles Bearded Dragon Bynoe’s Gecko Clay-soil Ctenotus (Ctenotus helenae) Common Desert Ctenotus Ctenotus saxatilis Eastern Tree Dtella Long-nosed Dragon Perentie Alice Springs Spiders Australian Golden Orb Weaver Australian Huntsman Spiders (Sparassidae) Backobourkines Banded Garden Spider Beautiful Badge Huntsman (Neosparassus calligaster) Cytaea sp Desert Huntsman Spider Elegant Water Spider (Dolomedes facetus) Euryopis sp Gnaphosid (Ground Spider) Anzacia Hackled Orb-weavers (Uloboridae) Hogna crispipes Hortophora sp Long-jawed Orb Weavers (Tetragnatha) Tetragnatha sp (Long-jawed Spider) Long-tailed St. Andrew’s Cross Spider (Argiope protensa) Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae) Peucetia Miturgidae (Elassoctenus spp) Neosparassus sp Oecobius sp Orange-legged Swift Spider (Nyssus coloripes) Orbweavers (Araneidae) Red-headed Mouse Spider Redback Spider (Latrodectus hasselti) Sondra aurea Uloboridae (Cribellate Orb Weavers) Wall Spider (Oecobius sp) Zodariidae Storena sp (Ant Spider)

Alice Springs FloraAlice Springs Flora Index Acacia ligulata Annual Yellowtop Bougainvillea Apple Bush Burdekin Plum Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqa) Cattle Bush Desert Cotton (Aerva javanica) Desert Oak Eremophila Wildberry Feijoa sellowiana Flannel Cudweed Fork-leaf Corkwood Ghost Gum Golden Everlasting Kurrajong Lemon-flowered Gum MacDonnell’s Desert Fuchsia Native Bluebell Native Tomato Needlewood Olive Tree Perennial Yellow Top Rat’s Tail River Red Gum Inland River Red Gum Rosy Dock Round-leaved Mallee Scurvy Grass Silky Eremophila Stemodia viscosa Striped Mintbush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Weeping Bottlebrush White Cedar Yellow Billybutton Yellow-keeled Swainsona Yellow Oleander