---
title: "Black-winged Kite"
description: "Elanus caeruleus — Birds. The black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus), also known as the black-shouldered kite (not to be confused with the closely related Australian species of the same name), is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for its habit of hovering over open grasslands in the manner of the much smaller kestrels."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/black-winged-kite
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Black-winged Kite

> Elanus caeruleus — Birds. The black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus), also known as the black-shouldered kite (not to be confused with the closely related Australian species of the same name), is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for its habit of hovering over open grasslands in the manner of the much smaller kestrels.

- Scientific name: *Elanus caeruleus*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `savanna` (Savanna)
- iNaturalist observations: 17512
- Wikidata: [Q27227](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27227)
- iNaturalist taxon: [5275](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/5275)

## Names

- en: Black-winged Kite
- de: Gleitaar
- es: Milano de alas negras
- fr: Élanion blanc
- nl: Grijze wouw
- pt: Peneireiro-cinzento
- pl: Kaniuk zwyczajny

## Countries with the most observations

ZA (3551), TW (2632), IN (2544), PT (864), CN (804), FR (704), KE (540), IL (534), ES (387), TZ (342), TH (340), MY (300)

## Summary

The black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus), also known as the black-shouldered kite (not to be confused with the closely related Australian species of the same name), is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for its habit of hovering over open grasslands in the manner of the much smaller kestrels. This Palearctic and Afrotropical species was sometimes combined with the Australian black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris) and the white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus) of North and South America which together form a superspecies. This kite is distinctive, with long wings; white, grey and black…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-winged_kite

## Photo

![Black-winged Kite](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/black-winged-kite/medium.jpg)

Photo: Stephen Matthews · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189746908

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/black-winged-kite?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).