Black-winged Kite

The black-winged kite is a small, almost white raptor with a grey back, black shoulders and bright red eyes. It is easiest to recognise by its hunting method: it hovers almost motionless in the air, head tilted down, looking for voles in the grass. Then it drops in a dive with its wings raised. It often sits motionless for a long time on top of a bush or tree. A few decades ago it was hardly present in France, but it has been spreading north for years and now also breeds in the Vendée. Outside the breeding season, it often sleeps together with others of its kind at shared roosts.