Milvus
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 Black Kite and Red Kite
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See text for discussion |
Milvus is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey. It is an Old World group consisting of three kites which form part of the subfamily Milvinae.
Definite species in this genus are:
- Red Kite, Milvus milvus
- Black Kite, Milvus migrans
Recent DNA studies suggest that the yellow-billed African races of Black Kite, M. m. parasiticus and M. m. aegyptius differ significantly from Black Kites in the Eurasian-Australasian clade, and could be considered as a separate species, the Yellow-billed Kite, M. aegyptius.
However, the same study suggests that the Asian M. m. lineatus, sometimes separated as the Black-eared Kite M. lineatus, is not sufficiently distinctive to justify specific status.
[edit] References
Birding World vol 18 no 12
