Black-winged Kite has bred in both Denmark and Hungary for the first time this year, continuing the species’ range expansion into Central and Northern Europe.
In Hungary, a pair nested in the south-east of the country. Two chicks hatched and subsequently fledged from an initial clutch of four eggs.
Black-winged Kite was formerly a rare visitor to Hungary. The breakthrough nest – observed, monitored and documented by local ornithologists and observers – represents a notable moment in the country’s birding history.
The Black-winged Kite chicks in their nest in Hungary in summer 2025 (Éva Horváth).
Black-winged Kite spreads north
Meanwhile, the first Danish breeding record has occured in recent weeks. A pair was recorded exhibiting nesting behaviour, including nest-building and mating, in central Jutland in September. However, there are concerns for the success of the attempt among Danish birders, with the later-than-usual breeding date meaning any chicks may struggle to survive the winter.
Britain’s second-ever Black-winged Kite occurred in Gloucestershire in August, and came hot on the heels of the first in 2023 – a bird that initially appeared in Powys in April before relocating to Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. Another individual reached Alderney in the Channel Islands as recently as 29 July 2025.
Black-winged Kite has steadily moved north and west from its traditional Iberian, North African and Asian strongholds in recent years. Now widespread across Southern Europe, the species has been touted a likely new colonist in Britain in the future. Its rapid northward expansion on the Continent makes further records almost inevitable.