Black-shouldered kite

Elanus axillaris

The Black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris) is a bird found in Australia. Open grassland and farms across Australia. It eats small mammals and birds, insects and other small invertebrates and reptiles and frogs. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Elanus axillaris
Region	Australia & Oceania
Found in	Australia

🏡 Where the Black-shouldered kite lives

Open grassland and farms across Australia.

🍽️ What it eats

🐭 Mammals & birds80%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It hovers in the air like a helicopter, looking for mice.

Hear the Black-shouldered kite

Recorded by Greg McLachlan (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC387031. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Black-shouldered kite

Where does the Black-shouldered kite live?

The Black-shouldered kite lives in Australia. Open grassland and farms across Australia.

What does the Black-shouldered kite eat?

small mammals and birds (about 80%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Black-shouldered kite endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Australia & Oceania

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.