A common, grey and white raptor with a black shoulder. Size 33 cms - larger than a laughing dove.  Afrikaans: Blouvalk.

The upperparts are bluish grey, with black wing coverts which appear as a distinctive, black shoulder patch. The underparts are white. There is a small black mask around the eye. Young birds have a reddish-brown wash on the head and breast and the feathers of the upperparts are tipped white. The bill is short with a sharp, hooked tip to the upper mandible. The bill is black, while the feet and legs, and the cere (skin at the base of the bill) are bright yellow. The eye is dark red in adults and brownish-orange in immature birds.

The Black-shouldered Kite is a common and obvious bird of the open veld and farming areas. It is usually seen perched on telephone- or power pylons or lines, In the absence of natural or man-made perches, it is able to hunt by hovering on upturned wings about 50 meters above the ground. When prey is sighted, the kite "parachutes" gracefully straight down into the grass. Black-shouldered Kites are highly nomadic - moving about in search of rodent prey.

The Black-shouldered kite eats mainly rodents as well as small birds and insects.

Breeding occurs all year round with a peak in the summer months. The nest is a small platform of sticks about 30cm in diameter, which is placed near the top of a tree in a fork.