Black-winged Kite

The black-winged kite is a small bird of prey best known for hovering over open grassland like a kestrel. It is distinctive, with long wings, white, grey and black plumage and owl-like forward-facing eyes with red irises. It is mainly seen on plains but sometimes on grassy hill slopes at higher elevations in Asia. It is not migratory but nomadic in response to weather and food supply (Wikipedia, general species account).

It uses sudden increases in rodent numbers and can raise several broods in a year, unlike most raptors. Populations in southern Europe have grown with agriculture and livestock rearing.