Hamirostra melanosternon
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-breasted buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon) is a large raptor endemic to mainland Australia. First described by John Gould in 1841, it forms part of the family Accipitridae (hawks and eagles) and is most closely related to the square-tailed kite (Lophoictinia isura). It is a versatile hunter known for its special skill in cracking eggs. The species is common throughout most of its range.
Intermediate in body size between the well-known larger wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) and the smaller little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides), the black-breasted buzzard is one of Australia's largest birds of prey and one of the world's largest kites alongside the red kite, which is slightly less heavy but has a longer total length. An adult black-breasted buzzard measures 51 to 61 cm (20 to 24 in) in height including its short square tail. The buzzard's outstretched wingspan measures 141 to 156 cm (4 ft 8 in to 5 ft 1 in), rendering the bird distinctive in flight as its wings are conspicuously long relative to its stout body and tail. Buzzards appear sexually monomorphic (identical in physical appearance), although the adult female is slightly larger, weighing approximately... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Territory Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Alice Springs Desert Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Sydney Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Adelaide Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Gorge Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Caversham Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-breasted Kite sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 130th most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-breasted Kite in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, June–September and November–January, the lowest months. Those are among Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 350 mm in January. February has too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-breasted Kite sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black-breasted Kite sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Black-breasted Kite that you can see in Kakadu National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Whistling Kite (about 80%), White-Bellied Sea-Eagle (about 40%) and Black Kite (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-breasted Kite is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (69 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
