An adult black kite, around four years old, was rescued by residents of Integral Coach Factory last week after the bird of prey was found injured and unable to move. Residents found the bird of prey on the terrace of a house at around 8.30 a.m.
They immediately alerted officials of the state forest department and the Blue Cross.
“The bird was unable to move as it was injured in its legs. We fed the bird some water and helped it gain some energy,” said K. Aravind, a resident of ICF.
According to forest officials, the rescued black kite could have been attacked by a larger species. . . “Such injuries are common among birds. Birds have the ability to recover on their own,” said an official with the state forest department.
As the neighbourhood has a many trees , such birds of prey could be found in large numbers. However, in recent times, their numbers have been dwindling.
Unlike other kites such as red and yellow, wildlife experts say black kites are smaller in size and have a less forked tail. They are opportunistic hunters and scavengers spending a lot of time in search of food.
The black kite is commonly seen in coastal areas near seashore as they prey mainly on fishes.
Earlier, the black kite was commonly found in Asian and South East Asian countries in large numbers.
Excessive use of endosulfan, a banned pesticide, by farmers , is said to have reduced the population of black kites over the years, Black kites scavenge on dead cattle which would have fed on farm feed.
