Introduction
The yellow-billed kite, a medium-sized, extremely adaptable raptor found in nearly every landscape across much of sub-Saharan Africa, is facing a growing threat. With West Africa’s vulture populations dwindling, poachers are increasingly turning to the yellow-billed kite for use as fetishes and for food.
Although they are listed as a “least concern” species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, these birds are being hunted more frequently for use in rituals and as charms. Like vultures, kites — both alive and dead — and their parts are used in rituals and as charms. They’re caught as bushmeat, supply fetish markets and are used as ingredients in local traditional medicine.
Growing Threat
A study by Abiola Chaffra, a research fellow at the International Bird Conservation Partnership, found that during November-to-March hunting seasons in 2022 and 2023, hunters killed 20,200 yellow-billed kites (Milvus aegyptius) in southern Benin. They flock from across Africa to nest and breed in southern Benin each year, and as soon as they arrive, they’re in danger.
“[These hunts occur] every year because the kites always come back,” Chaffra told Mongabay. The research will be published in the bulletin of the African Bird Club.
Environmental Impact
The loss of these birds could have a broad impact: Yellow-billed kites are opportunistic predators that eat a wide range of small mammals, amphibians and insects that are considered pests. They play a key role in cleansing landscapes of disease and scavenging carcasses.
Yellow-billed kites at a fetish market in Benin. Image by Abiola Chaffra.
Belief-Based Demand
Raptors have long been used in rituals in Benin, but it appears to be increasing, Chaffra… This article was originally published on Mongabay
Conclusion
The yellow-billed kite is an important bird for the African ecosystem, and its loss could have severe consequences for the environment. It is essential that measures are taken to protect this species and reduce the demand for its parts for use in rituals and as charms.
Source / Reference: Mongabay