Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/811845
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 APRIL 2017 News PAUL COCKS A black-winged kite was sighted for the first time in Malta on Fri- day, with the bird seen in the vicin- ity of Buskett before flying in the direction of Siggiewi, the Commit- tee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) announced yesterday. The rare bird was sighted by a CABS team on Friday at around 6pm close to the Verdala Palace in Buskett, only six hours after this year´s spring hunting season offi- cially closed. The activists, Alexander Heyd and Fabian Karwinkel from Ger- many, followed the bird for half an hour but then lost visual contact after the kite flew off in the direc- tion of Siggiewi. Before it disappeared the bird- watchers managed to film the bird for a few seconds. CABS said that the observation had been reported to the Mal- tese Rarities Committee for birds, chaired by Edward Bonavia of Birdlife Malta. The organisation also contacted a local ornithologist who confirmed the sighting and said that the bird had also been observed by hunters. The black-winged kite (Latin name: Elanus caeruleus, Astun Ab- jad in Maltese), which has the size of a small falcon, is a species pri- marily associated with open land and semi-deserts in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia. In Europe the bird breeds only in Spain, Portugal and South-west France. Pale-throated black-eared wheatear also sighted On Friday, Bernard Farrugia, a hunter and member of Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU) sighted and photographed another rare bird, a pale-throated black-eared wheat- ear (Oenanthe hispanica hispanica or Kuda Dumnikana in Maltese). Although the black-eared wheat- ear is a common migrant in spring and autumn, the pale-throated race is a scarce migrant since it is common in the west, mainly Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with some recorded in France. KSU encouraged its members to keep an eye on all migrating birds and report any unusual sightings. elektra.com.mt First black-winged kite sighted in Malta Falcon-sized bird primarily associated with open land and semi-deserts in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia Black-winged kite The pale-throated black-eared wheatear photographed by Bernard Farrugia