The Black Kite is a highly successful bird of prey and it owes much of this success to its extremely adaptable nature. The Black Kite is often found in close proximity and large flocks can be seen circling sources of easy food such as waste grounds, campsites and public parks where it is an opportunistic scavenger.. They will also take a variety of small birds and animals and even fish when they need to hunt for food. They may also be observed catching insects and eating them whilst on the wing.

The Black Kite like all kites is superbly adapted to life on the wing, soaring seemingly without effort yet it is also extremely agile and is easily capable of catching birds and insects in flight. They are unusually sociable for birds of prey and can often be heard calling to each other whilst flying. Although absent from Britain some sources think that Black Kites may have once soared over London as our native Red Kites have historically tended to shy away from human beings. They are still widespread throughout mainland Europe with northern populations wintering in Spain and Gibraltar.