Black kites are among the world's most numerous raptors and their welfare in urban environments, where they scavenge alongside humans, presents unique challenges.
Urban black kites suffer welfare impacts from plastic ingestion, which causes intestinal perforation, blockages and slow death. Power line electrocution causes acute welfare impacts and population-level losses. Lead poisoning from scavenging carcasses near hunting areas and rodenticide secondary poisoning from urban pest control are additional threats. Reducing urban food waste reduces dependence on landfill and plastic ingestion risk.