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Species › Birds

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

Order
Accipitriformes
Family
Accipitridae
Presence in the Strait
Resident
Abundance
rare
Protection in Spain
Special protection (List)
In Spanish
Elanio común

Photograph: Derek Keats, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length
31–34 cm
Wingspan
75–83 cm
Weight
230 g
020406080LENGTH31–34 cmWINGSPAN75–83 cmcentimetres

Presence in the Strait

Rare resident in open country with scattered trees (2 pairs). African bird of prey that colonised the Iberian Peninsula in 1975. The first wintering record in the province of Cadiz was in 1987 and the first breeding record in 1992. Currently, fewer than 6 birds winter, mainly in La Janda area.

Identification

Unmistakeable. Small, the size of a Kestrel but more robust. It usually uses posts and branches as vantage points.

Movements

Sedentary with postnuptial dispersion. Migrating birds are seen, even crossing the Strait, between March and May, and July and October, with peaks in 1st hf. September.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Gallery

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.