What prompted these researchers to study the ecological aspects of a common species? Citizens often assume "obvious roles" for urban species, based on occasional observations or common sense. Interestingly, for the citizens of Delhi, and even for Kumar himself, the idea that a (large) raptor could nest in huge numbers within a city was unimaginable. Kumar's initial idea of a raptor was a fierce eagle that breeds in some remote, pristine forest, in small numbers, much like tigers. But reality often challenges human simplifications, and this speaks volumes about the wonders and actual machinery of nature waiting to be unraveled. Once the team noticed sharp variations in the density of kite-nests, they systematically studied the number and productivity of nests between 2013 and 2016 at 24 sampling-plots, each of 100 hectares. These plots covered most of the possible urban settings within Delhi, from semi-natural to extremely built-up sites. This resulted in a sample of 154 nests, checked every 7–10 days until they had chicks of at least 45 days, i.e., ready to fly and become fledglings. For each nest, the effort provided data on the number of young birds that were successfully raised until the flight-stage.

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