Records of Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus on Hateruma-jima Island

Abstract

A Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus was recorded for the first time on Hateruma-jima Island, on August 12, 2023. This individual was identified as a juvenile of subspecies vociferus, mainly based on the characteristics of its plumage. The first record of an individual identified as a Black-winged Kite in Japan dates back to an observation on Ishigaki-jima Island in 1995. Subsequently, the first breeding record in Japan was obtained also on Ishigaki-jima island in 2017. However, until now these records have not been reported in scholarly publications, and there is a need to scientifically describe the kites in Japan with a clear identification basis. This is the first academic report based on detailed morphological characteristics with accompanying photographs that this individual belongs to the E. caeruleus and not to another species of the same genus. Over the preceding half-century, the global distribution of this species has undergone a substantial expansion. The kite serves as valuable research subject for the ecological study of range expansion. We hope that studies on the range expansion of this species will include impacts of that expansion on the ecosystem.