WII Technical Reports/Books/Manuals
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Item Demographic outcomes of diverse behavioural strategies assessed in resident and migratory population of black kites Milvus migrans Phase VI(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Kumar, Nishant; Jhala, Y.V.; Qureshi, Q.The Black Kite, an opportunist, facultative scavenger in the South Asian urban ecosystems,； is a highly successful bird of prey, adapting to various habitats from natural landscapes to bustling cities (Fig.1 ).This adaptability makes them one of the most hutnerous raptors globally (Ferguson- Lees & Christie, 2001). In the Old World, these kites are resourceful and opportunistic eaters, thriving on abundant food sources from human refuse and prey species like pigeons and rats in urban areas. They readily exploit human-generated waste, allowing them to maintain a healthy population and favourable conservation status (Galushin, 1971). In Indian cities like Delhi, they reign as the top avian predators within the urban ecosystem. Studies since the 1960s suggest their breeding density has remained stable. While most raptors require specific ecological conditions, Black Kites exhibit remarkable flexibility (Kumar et al., 2020a). They primarily nest in trees, indicating a need for green spaces within the city. However, a small portion (less than 5%) utilise man-made structures for nesting (Fig. 2). The ample availability of trees in Delhi provides suitable nesting grounds (Kumar, 2013; Kumar et al., 2019). The abundance of garbage in cities - often amassing in the form of large landfills - provides kites with a readily available food source. Additionally, the positive attitude of residents in South Asia towards these birds allows them to breed undisturbed near human settlements. This human tolerance translates to moderate breeding success, with around half of breeding Fig. 1. A typical congregation of Black Kites in Old Delhi responding to ritual tossing of meat by Muslims that follow Sufi traditions (Jama Masjid area). Photo Credit: Fabrizio Sergio 2 BlacK Kite Project - Phase - VI pairs raising chicks to fledging (Kumar et al.t 2014). The high density of Black Kites in southern Asian breeding grounds offers a unique opportunity for research. Scientists can compare these populations to European Black Kites, which have been extensively studied since the 1950s. Pioneering research in the 1990s on European populations focused on factors influencing chick survival, including hatching order, sibling competition, and food availability. These studies have become benchmarks for raptor biologists (Ferguson-Lees & Christie, 2001; Newton, 1979). A crucial finding from European studies is the link between food availability and brood reduction (where some chicks die in the nest). When food is scarce, chicks compete more intensely, and some may not survive (Vinuela, 1996). Black Kites in Delhi exhibit hatching asynchrony (chicks hatching at different times) and brood reduction, likely influenced by the varying food availability across the city's diverse urban landscapes. To capture these ecological nuances, researchers have been using trail cameras in nests across different urbanisation gradients to study relationships with urban variables. These data are further combined with observations to assess hatching patterns, chick survival, growth rates, and nesting behaviour. Delhi hosts two subspecies of black kites: the resident breeding Milvus migrans govinda (small Indian kite) and the migratory M. m. lineatus (black-eared kite) that arrives from Central Asia and Southern Siberia via the Central Asian Flyway across the Himalayas. GPS-tagging revealed that M. m. lineatus kites migrate 3300-4700 km from their breeding grounds in Russia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang (China) and Mongolia to Delhi in 3-4 weeks, crossing the Himalayas at elevations up to 5000-6000 m (Kumar et al., 2020b).Item Key areas for long term conservation of Galliformes I- Uttarakhand(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Ramesh, K.; Qureshi, Q.; McGowan, P.Item Black Kite : Summary of Project Report(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2017) Qureshi, Q.; Jhala, Y.V.; Sergio, F.; Kumar, Nishant; Gupta, PurviItem Ecology of black kites Milvus migrans subsisting on urban resources in Delhi: Black kite Project Phase - III(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2008) Kumar, N.; Gupta, U.; Malhotra, H.; Jhala, Y.V.; Sergio, F.; Gosler, A.; Qureshi, Q.The research team working in the National Capital territory, since December 2012, and through major funding support from the Raptor Research and Conservation Foundation (RRCF), envisioned a long collaborative term study around the urban adaptations of a large raptor, the Black Kite Milvus migrans. Supervised since its inception by Profs. Y. V. Jhala and Q. Qureshi from the Wildlife Institute of India, and Dr. F. Sergio of CSIC, Spain, this project is a unique attempt in the Sub-Continent to holistically unravel the adaptations around Black Kite’s densest urban settlement in the world. We have now established how human cultural practices and attitudes may well be the most defining dimensions of the urban niche of synanthropes like Black Kites (Kumar et al. 2018). Thus, the third phase (August 2016 – July 2018), was a comprehensive assessment of the breeding ecology of Black kites, and their aggressive interaction with residents along the sampled urban gradient within the megacity of Delhi. For this, we used the habitat selection criteria of kites (Kumar et al. 2018) and inspected the behaviour of breeding kites at 101 territories (total 657 visitations), and tested their offspring defence (Kumar et al. in review). We found that defence increases with proximity to ritual-feeding sites and availability of offal, apart from progression in the breeding stage. This period also included the beginning of Phase -IV, an attempt to understand the migration of the Milvus migrans lineatus, the subspecies from the Central Asian Steppes wintering in the urban quarters of the Subcontinent from September to April every year. We deployed 13 GSM e-obs tags and 5 GSM tags from Microwave Telemetry Ltd. USA. These efforts were preceded by Phase-I of the project (December 2012 – June 2014) that focused on basic natural history observations (Kumar et al. 2014), and the Phase-II (July 2014 – July 2016) which further extended the efforts to cover more sampling units, focusing on the aspects of habitat, behaviour and population ecology. The project has now entered its intensive publication stage, as substantial data have now accumulated to enable high-level publications on international scientific outlets, with three publications lined up and ready to enter the genetic and disease components, apart from movement ecology. Finally, the project has incorporated through these initial years: (1) a remarkable amount of environmental education of Delhi citizens; (2) the Master thesis and near -completion of a PhD thesis by N. Kumar at an institute of repute (Oxford University, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute of Ornithology); (3) completion of a Master program by U. Gupta at the Department of Geography of Oxford University; (4) training of more than 100 volunteers and some of them joining institutes of national and international reputation. All in all, the overall research team is extremely satisfied of all the progress and research formation attained and eager to move on to expand and intensify the project even more.