The Black Baza (Aviceda leuphotes) is a small sized kite found in the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats. The Black Bazas have short, stout legs and feet with strong talons. A prominent crest is a feature of the Bazas. They are found in dense forest often in small groups. They are also known to spend a lot of time perching on open perches overlooking forest canopy.

Like others in the genus Aviceda they have two tooth like indentations on the edge of the upper bill.

Distribution Sketch of underwing pattern of a flying Baza

Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. They are migratory in parts of their range.

In India the species is restricted to the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats and northeastern India. Stray records of the species include occurrences in metropolitan areas such as within the Guindy National Park in Chennai.

Notch on the upper mandible