Mating behaviour of black shouldered kites?

[Lance Peters]

Hi - does anyone know what tha mating behaviour of the black shouldered kite is - reason I ask is - Shooting this bird yesterday, bird is stationery on a perch - it starts making a whistle and raising its tail above its head.

Sounds like mating behaviour to me although I am only new at this - so could be wrong.

I can't post the image's for another week or so as I am away on a trip.

thanks
lance

P.S. Wasn't sure were to post this question.

[Doug West]

Lance,

Don't know if this helps, but I pulled this from a site...

Breeding: Black-winged Kites breed year round. Males court with mock dive-attacks on a perching female and a mated pair may perform aerial displays or soaring and chasing, and calling from the nest tree. Paired mates also share food, even away from the nest. They usually mate high on a tree or perch.

Black-winged Kites nest high up in trees or palms (especially coconut palms), 6-46m above the ground. The nest is an untidy small platform (1m across) built of thin sticks with a lining of fine twigs or grass stems. The male does most of the collection of nesting material, bringing it to the female which builds the nest. They build a new nest every year, although they may use the same area or even the same tree. They aggressively defend the nest site from all other birds, including small ones like crows.

Doug

[Dean Ingwersen]

Hi Lance,

My guess would be a territorial display. The Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (based on work of researchers) states this behaviour is known as Tail-Wagging, and states "tail cocked up and down repeatedly...also call while Tail-wagging...possibly functions as a territorial display in response to intruders". So perhaps you observed one bird standing it's ground on an intruder.

Sexual behaviours include 'Flutter-flight' where one bird flutters above the other in some sort of display, and they (along with many other raptor species) will also transfer food on the wing.

Hope that helps.

cheers, Dean