黑鸢（学名：Milvus migrans），俗称老鹰、老鸢或鸡屎鹰，粤语称麻鹰（粤拼：maa4 jing1），闽南语作莱叶、猎鸮、鶆鸮（台罗：lāi-hio̍h），客语称鹞婆（yeu-phò），是鹰形目鹰科鸢属下的一种猛禽，广泛分布于欧亚大陆和澳大利亚等地。此鸟种最明显的特征是其棕黑的羽色和些微分岔的尾羽。和多数鹰科猛禽不同的是，黑鸢虽然也会主动打猎，但以食腐为主，且非繁殖季会成群生活。黑鸢的适应力强，除了栖息于水域附近、草原、森林外，还能居住于城市内，实际栖地因分布区域而差异很大。虽然不少地区的族群量有所减少，但黑鸢仍是世界上最常见、最都市化的猛禽之一。目前属无危物种。
黑鸢体长58-69cm；翼展157-162cm；体重900-1160公克；嘴峰25-40毫米；翅435-550毫米；尾270-362毫米；跗跖50-75毫米，属中型猛禽。体色大致棕褐。眼暗褐色，腊膜黄色或棕色，眼先灰色，眼后羽色略暗，嘴基部黄色，上喙黑色。头部、颈部及肩羽较淡，呈现许多白斑。腹面棕褐色，羽毛边缘的颜色较浅，因而形成交错的斑纹。尾羽展开时呈三角形；收拢时略为内凹，类似鱼尾，飞行时常不停扭动； 展翅时翅末端成掌状，腹面初级飞羽基部白色，连成翅下两片显眼的白斑，翱翔时翅末些微下垂。脚黄色或灰色，爪黑色。幼鸟身上带有绒毛及白斑，腹面带白色纵纹。每年换羽一次，繁殖期羽色相同。和许多猛禽相同的是，黑鸢雌雄同型，而雌鸟比雄鸟略大。
相较同为鸢属物种的近亲红鸢，除了体色一棕黑、一红褐外，黑鸢体型略小，尾羽分岔较浅。黄嘴鸢的体色则比黑鸢略呈红棕，嘴部黄色，黑鸢则是黑色。
黑鸢鸣声响亮，无论是否为繁殖季皆鸣唱，一般鸣声为悠扬的“fee~ee~ee~yu~”，鸣声颇长而尾音颤抖；警戒声则似“fee-er-er”，短暂急促。
黑鸢的属名“Milvus”指鸢；种小名“migrans”指的是迁徙。黑鸢和红鸢、黄嘴鸢共同构成了鸢属，其中红鸢会和黑鸢杂交，尤其是在人为圈养之下；在佛德角，后来移入的黑鸢和红鸢繁殖，现在佛德角的鸢是红鸢和黑鸢的混种，并被视为是红鸢的亚种（Milvus milvus fasciicauda），[7]甚至亦有将其视为独立物种者（Milvus fasciicauda）；黄嘴鸢分布于非洲和阿拉伯半岛南方，过去认为是黑鸢的一个亚种（M. milvus aegyptius），但分子生物学研究则认为黄嘴鸢应是一个独立物种（M. aegyptius），目前其物种地位尚不明确。
和许多猛禽不同的是，黑鸢在迁徙时及非繁殖季常成群活动，并会于秋冬黄昏的空中群聚、盘旋，又称“晚点名”，入夜后各自归巢。在台湾，幼鸟离巢后的活动范围约为291平方公里，非繁殖个体较已婚成鸟的活动范围大4至8倍[14]，德国的研究发现，繁殖季的亲鸟领域为15平方公里，幼鸟离巢后增加至40平方公里。
在欧洲、中亚和北亚，黑鸢和人类的关系较远，然而在南亚、东亚和非洲，黑鸢相当熟悉城市环境，甚至可以在人类附近飞行。在印度的观察发现，黑鸢亲鸟能认出入侵其巢的人类，并对其进行攻击，[18]当地进一步的研究亦指出较常受到喂食的黑鸢更有可能攻击人类。
据博物学家罗伯特·斯文豪在台湾的记录所言，黑鸢身上“带着臭味”
The black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations. Current global population estimates run up to 6.7 million individuals.
Unlike others of the group, black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend much time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify. They are also vociferous with a shrill whinnying call.
The black kite is widely distributed through the temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia and parts of Australasia and Oceania, with the temperate region populations tending to be migratory. Several subspecies are recognized and formerly had their own English names. The European populations are small, but the South Asian population is very large.
Black kites can be distinguished from red kites by the slightly smaller size, less forked tail (visible in flight), and generally dark plumage without any rufous. The sexes are alike though the male is a little smaller and less aggressive (this is the case in most birds of prey). They weigh on average 735 grams. The upper plumage is brown but the head and neck tend to be paler. The patch behind the eye appears darker. The outer flight feathers are black and the feathers have dark cross bars and are mottled at the base. The lower parts of the body are pale brown, becoming lighter towards the chin. The body feathers have dark shafts giving it a streaked appearance. The cere and gape are yellow, but the bill is black (unlike that of the yellow-billed kite). The legs are yellow and the claws are black. They have a distinctive shrill whistle followed by a rapid whinnying call. Males and females have the same plumage but females are longer than males and have a little larger wingspan. Their wingspan is around 150 cm.
10 окт 2024
