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Circannual variation movements of Black Kite

Figure 2 - Solid lines: simplified plotted flyways reported by Meyburg and Meyburg (2009), passing
through the Strait of Gibraltar and wintering in western Africa, as estimated using
satellite telemetry. Sketched line: flyway used by migrating Black Kites through the Bab-
El-Mandeb Strait and moving along the Rift Valley (Welch and Welch 1988, Zalles and
Bildstein 2000) Correlation between temperatures and numbers of Short-toed Snake
Eagles seen migrating at the site during autumn.

observed mostly singly or in pairs (Moreau 1972). for wintering kites, aerial and ground sprayings
The increasing flock size could be related to the of insecticides often wipe out this resource and
different foraging behaviour of wintering kites. kill many kites (Mineau 2002, Thiollay 2006,
Sanchez-Zapata et al. (2007) showed that Black Sanchez-Zapata 2007).
Kites change their foraging behaviour, abandoning Spring
urban areas and garbage dumps and increased Movements
group size in response to desert locusts outbreaks. In the way back from Africa towards breeding
In general, wintering raptors in the Sahel are more territories an important African flyway is located
abundant in crops and close to town (Anadon et between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea, in
al. 2010). As a result, roosts and concentrations Egypt, and two watch-sites are known along this
of Black Kites may be extremely vulnerable route: Bûr Sâfaga on the Red Sea Mountains and
because of pesticide aerial spraying; in fact since Zait Bay, where 925 and 1660 individuals were
local outbreaks of grasshoppers in fields and large respectively reported (Fig. 3; Zalles and Bildstein
nomadic swarms of locusts are major food sources

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