Noosa Shire enjoys a constant kite festival with these wonderful birds of prey in evidence right across the shire. The term kite reportedly hails from an Old English onomatopoeic word that imitates the call notes of certain European raptors. Of course, raptors also soar like toy kites, and no bird soars quite as efficiently as the black-shouldered kite.

Like nankeen kestrels, black-shouldered kites are one of the few birds that can hover, where the bird maintains a fixed position, suspended in the air with minimal wing movements. Where a kestrel might be blown sideways, a black-shouldered kite is able to maintain a static position even in strong winds.

The black-shouldered kite is a stately little raptor with striking red eyes. They can be seen hovering over open fields in the Noosa hinterland, generally in the early morning and late afternoon. Studies have shown that mice make up 80 percent of their diet. They are incredibly good at finding and catching rodents, with one observed male bird bringing 14 mice to its nest in the space of just one hour.  

The other three local kite species are all opportunistic feeders with catholic tastes, eating anything they can get their talons on. Black kites can regularly be seen flying around the Noosa Waste and Recovery Resource Centre where the buffet for scavengers includes rodents. They are particularly obvious when one is driving along Emu Mountain Road between Eumundi-Noosa Road and Walter Hay Drive. Black kites are not black, but rather dark brown with light brown flecks. They look very similar to whistling kites. One way to tell the two species apart is by the dark patch behind the eye of the black kite. A better way, particularly when the bird is in flight, is by the shape of the tail. The black kite has a square-tipped tail when flying, whereas the whistling kite has a long, rounded tail. Of course, tail shape can alter somewhat depending on what the bird is doing in the air. A third differentiator is the patches of pale feathers on the underwings of whistling kites, between the darker outer primaries and the secondary feathers.

Black kites are considered to be the most abundant raptor in the world, appearing on four continents. (Osprey occur on more continents but are less prolific.) The black kite is remarkably adaptable, enjoying a diverse range of habitats from wetlands to arid areas and even urban environments, plainly including refuse tips. Grass fires and bushfires can attract black kites in large numbers. There is evidence that black kites will even start new fires to flush out prey. In the northern savannah country, they have been observed carrying burning twigs which they drop into a patch of dry grass some distance from the original fire. 

The distinctive call of the whistling kite is frequently heard along the Noosa River and around Lake Macdonald. In one of my field guides the call is transcribed as “peee-arrgh, ka ke-ki-ki-ki”. Imagine that as a sort of whistle. Unlike most raptors, whistling kites are decidedly raucous, calling regularly while in flight or on a perch. These birds will steal food from other birds including raptors. I have watched one harangue a white-bellied sea eagle in the hope of making the larger bird drop its catch.

Brahminy kites are arguably the most resplendent of the kite family, with their chestnut and white finery. Like whistling kites, they also like to be around water, especially estuaries, mangroves, lakes and swamps. Brahminy kites also prefer to steal food than hunt for it and will engage in aerial piracy, snatching fish from gulls, terns, osprey and even from whistling kites, which is kind of ironic. There’s no love lost between kite species. 

In Hinduism, the brahminy kite is believed to be a modern representation of Garuda, the sacred bird of Vishnu. It is thus the official mascot of Jakarta.

All of these birds are regularly harassed by smaller birds who view them as potential nest robbers. While that may be irritating, a genuine threat to kites comes from secondary poisoning. These birds perform a service to we hominids by keeping introduced rodents in check. The use of rodenticide to poison rats and mice has an impact on all animals that prey on them. Far better to use traps, including electronic traps, to eradicate rodents.

If you wish to help protect our raptors, including owls, and other native critters, Birdlife Australia has a petition calling for the banning of Second-generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides.