Characteristics:
About 50-69 cm long (wings around 150 cm), brown plumage. Usually soars high in circles gliding among thermals. The forked tail is flexed and twisted in flight. It gives an occasional long drawn out squealing call.

Distribution:
Resident. The commonest raptor in Hong Kong. Usually seen circling above the urban areas. A group of several hundred can be found at dusk or dawn around Magazine Gap Road in Mid-Levels on Hong Kong Island.

Habits:
Often glides high in the sky singly or in groups. Feeds on refuse, fishes and dead animals. Avian scavenger.

Photo: Cheung Ho Fai