Black-shouldered Kite – immature

Birds of Prey

Black-shouldered KiteBlack-shouldered Kite – juvenile in flight Black-shouldered Kite – immature

The immature Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) is closer in colouration to the adult, with the less of the rusty brown plumage around the neck, nape and breast, that is evident in the juvenile. The back and wings are a mottled buff or brown, and grey, When in flight the upperside plumage is noticeably grey whilst the wings underneath are white with grey tones.

Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris), Alice Springs Ponds © Dorothy Latimer — Black-shouldered Kite (*Elanus axillaris*), Alice Springs Ponds © Dorothy Latimer

The crown, neck and upperparts start to take on the pale grey plumage colour of the adult, with the head and underparts are white. A black comma-shaped marking lies in front of and stretches over and behind the eye, that is deep red and surrounded by a black orbital ring.

It is the black leading edge of the outer wing that is obvious when perched, that gives the species its prominent black “shoulders”. The central rectrices (the larger feathers in a bird’s tail that is used for steering in flight) of the Black-shouldered Kite are pale grey, with the rest of the tail feathers being white.

The Black-shouldered Kite has a short bill with a sharp, hooked tip to the upper mandible. Its nostrils and the cere (the soft, fleshy, and typically bare patch at the base of the upper side of the bill) are dull to bright yellow. The legs and feet are also yellow or golden-yellow (although may appear yellow-pink, in younger birds). The feet have three toes that face forwards, with one toe facing backwards.