Page 33 - Panuccio2012

Circannual variation movements of Black Kite

2000, Hilgerloh 2009). The figures recorded at area, no individuals were recorded migrating at
Suez are larger in spring than in autumn; up to 3 the Strait of Messina during the first half of March
860 individuals were observed in spring (Meininger (Agostini and Malara 1997). At several sites in
and Roder 1992, Zalles and Bildstein 2000). In southern Italy and Tunisia, hundreds of birds are
the Middle-East the migration takes place mostly reported migrating later in the season, between
between the second half of March and the first the last ten days of March and the second decade
days of April while few birds have been observed of May while a peak was reported between late
outside this period. In some years a second, smaller April and early May, when a substantial number of
wave of migration has been observed at Eilat in immature birds are reported (Agostini and Duchi
late April. Until the end of March aged Black Kites 1994, Agostini and Logozzo 1998, Panuccio et al.
were mostly adults but in late April and May 2nd- 2004, Panuccio and Agostini 2010). Unlike during
cy birds predominated. In Eilat a maximum of 36 autumn migration, birds migrate singly or in
690 individuals were counted in 1980 (Shirihai et small flocks, rarely comprising tens of individuals
al. 2000). (Panuccio and Agostini 2010). In this area Black
At the Strait of Gibraltar 28216 individuals were kites leave the African coast mainly at Cap Bon.
counted during spring 2011 from two watchpoints Few individuals are observed migrating outside
(www.fundacionmigres.org). Here, the migration this area, as shown by research made at the islands
starts during the last third of February with a of Malta, Lampedusa and along the Sardinia-
peak in the first half of March. Smaller numbers, Corsica corridor (Beaman and Galea 1974,
mostly immature, are recorded later in the season, Premuda et al. 2007, Corso et al. 2009). Once
(Finlayson 1992). At the Bosphorus few birds reached western Sicily, Black Kites tend to migrate
migrate (223 individuals in 2006) with a peak on a broader front with a passage of hundreds of
recorded in late March (Üner et al. 2010). On the birds through the Tyrrhenian Sea, in particular
other hand kites migrating along the eastern coast via the islands of Ustica and Panarea (Panuccio
of the Black Sea (2 664 counted at Fırtına river, et al. 2004, Mellone et al. 2007). The maximum
Rize Province), in Turkey, peaked in the first half number counted at the Strait of Messina was
of May (Zalles and Bildstein 2000, Kirwan et al. 1008 in 2000 while through the Thyrrenian Sea a
2008). Similarly, in the Central Mediterranean maximum of 302 birds were counted at the island

Figure 3 - Flyways used by Black Kites during autumn migration. 1) Cap Bon Promontory, 2) Marettimo
island, 3) Ustica island, 4) Panarea island, 5) Strait of Messina, 6) Bûr Sâfaga, 7) Zait Bay
(Finlayson 1992, Meininger and Roder 1992, Agostini and Duchi 1994, Shirihai 2000, Zalles
and Bildstein 2000, Mellone et al. 2007, Hilgerloh 2009, Panuccio and Agostini 2010, Ümet
et al. 2010).
33