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black kite Milvus migrans

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Subject: black kite Milvus migrans
From: Andrew Taylor <>
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:24:01 +1100
On Tue, Feb 12, 2008 at 04:37:15PM +0930, Anthony Molyneux wrote:
> I live and work in Alice Springs and I also work with Black Kites
> and Whistling Kites.  The calls are similar but the Whistling Kite
> has the 'inflection' at either or both ends of the call.  The Black
> Kite call is the constant 'chatter' part but if you listen it
> doesn't rise in pitch like the Whistling Kite.
> The Whistling Kite call is also slightly higher in pitch overall.
> When you work with both you can tell the calls apart but may not
> be easy when you only hear it sporadically.

You description fits well the Black Kite calls in HANZAB songrams A&B
- and the Black Kite calls on David Stewart & Fred van Gessel's CDs.
But the Black Kite call that has me mystified is similar to HANZAB songram
C which finishes with frequency modulations (inflections) making it very
like a Whistling Kite.

Interesting that Peter Crow has heard this call at Innaminka.

I listened to a few Red Kite recordings and looked at a sonagram and
I can't agree with Anthea's German visitor - the frequency modulation
of their calls seem quite different to Whisting Kites.

Andrew

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