The
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), also known as the
Red-backed Sea-eagle, is a medium-sized
bird of preyBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as any bird that kills its prey with its talons. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh. In most cases,...
in the family
AccipitridaeThe Accipitridae is one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes . Many well-known birds, such as hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures are included in this group...
, which also includes many other diurnal
raptorsBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as any bird that kills its prey with its talons. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh. In most cases,...
such as
eagleEagles are large birds of prey which are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa...
s,
buzzardA buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
s and
harriersA harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles or birds....
. They are found primarily in the
Indian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent and other terms, is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate south of the Himalayas, forming a peninsula which extends southward into the Indian Ocean...
,
Southeast AsiaManila
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Yangon
Bandung
Hanoi
Surabaya
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Medan|-|}...
and
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
.
The Brahminy Kite is distinctive and contrastingly coloured, with chestnut plumage except for the white head and breast and black wing tips.
The
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), also known as the
Red-backed Sea-eagle, is a medium-sized
bird of preyBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as any bird that kills its prey with its talons. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh. In most cases,...
in the family
AccipitridaeThe Accipitridae is one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes . Many well-known birds, such as hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures are included in this group...
, which also includes many other diurnal
raptorsBirds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as any bird that kills its prey with its talons. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh. In most cases,...
such as
eagleEagles are large birds of prey which are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa...
s,
buzzardA buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
s and
harriersA harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles or birds....
. They are found primarily in the
Indian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent and other terms, is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate south of the Himalayas, forming a peninsula which extends southward into the Indian Ocean...
,
Southeast AsiaManila
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Yangon
Bandung
Hanoi
Surabaya
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Medan|-|}...
and
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
.
Description
The Brahminy Kite is distinctive and contrastingly coloured, with chestnut plumage except for the white head and breast and black wing tips. The juveniles are browner, but can be distinguished from both the resident and migratory races of
Black KiteThe Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers....
in Asia by the paler appearance, shorter wings and rounded tail. The pale patch on the underwing carpal region is of a squarish shape and separated from
Buteo buzzards.
The Brahminy Kite is about the same size as the Black Kite and has a typical kite flight, with wings angled, but its tail is rounded unlike the
MilvusMilvus is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey. It is an Old World group consisting of three kites which form part of the subfamily Milvinae...
species,
Red KiteThe Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just outside...
and Black Kite, which have forked tails. The two genera are however very close.
The call is a mewing
keeyew.
Taxonomy
The Brahminy Kite was first described by the Dutch naturalist
Pieter BoddaertPieter Boddaert was a Dutch physician and naturalist.Boddaert was the son of a Middelburg jurist and poet by the same name . Pieter Jr obtained his M.D. at the University of Utrecht in 1764 and there became a lecturer on natural history...
in 1783. Four subspecies are recognized:
- indus (Boddaert, 1783) is found in South Asia
- flavirostris Condon & Amadon, 1954 is found in the Solomon Islands
- girrenera (Vieillot, 1822) is found in New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago and Australia
- intermedius Blyth
Edward Blyth was an English zoologist and pharmacist. He was one of the founders of Indian zoology....
, 1865 is found in the Malay Peninsula and into the islands of the Sundas, Sulawesi and the Philippines
Distribution and status
This
kiteKites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mostly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey....
is a familiar sight in the skies of
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
,
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
,
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
,
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, and southeast
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and as far south as
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, through which region it is widespread and resident. They perform seasonal movements associated with rainfall in some parts of their range.
They are mainly seen in the plains but can sometimes occur above 5000 feet in the Himalayas.
It is evaluated as Least Concern on the
IUCN Red ListThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1948, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is the world's main authority on the conservation...
of Threatened Species. However the species is on the decline in some parts such as Java.
Behaviour
The breeding season in South Asia is from December to April. In southern and eastern Australia, it is August to October, and April to June in the north and wet. The nests are constructed of small branches and sticks with a bowl inside and lines with leaves, and are sited in various trees, often mangroves. They show considerable site fidelity nesting in the same area year after year. In some rare instances they have been seen to nest on the ground under trees. A clutch of two dull white or bluish-white oval eggs measuring 52 x 41 mm is laid.The nests are constructed of small branches and sticks with a bowl inside and lines with leaves, and are sited in various trees, often mangroves.
It is mainly a scavenger, feeding mainly on dead fish and crabs, especially in wetlands and marshland but occasionally hunts live prey such as hares and bats.
Young birds may indulge in play behaviour, dropping leaves and attempting to catch them in the air. When fishing over water, they may sometimes land in the water but manage to swim and take off without much trouble.
They roost communally on large and isolated trees and as many as 600 have been seen at just one location.
They may mob larger raptors such as the
Aquila eagles. In some incidents where Brahminy Kites mobbed
Steppe EagleThe Steppe Eagle, , is a large bird of prey. It is about 62–81 cm in length and has a wingspan of 165-200 cm . Females, weighing 2.3-4.9 kg , are slightly larger than males, at 2-3.5 kg . Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
s (
Aquila rapax), they were attacked and injured or killed.
In culture
Known as
Elang Bondol in
IndonesiaIndonesian is the official national language of Indonesia. It is based on a version of Classical Malay of the Riau-Johor Sultanate. It was first declared the official language with the declaration of Indonesian independence in 1945, following the 1928 unifying-language declaration in the...
, the Brahminy Kite is the official mascot of
JakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. It also has a greater population than any other city in Southeast Asia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kelapa , Jayakarta , Batavia , and Djakarta . Located on the northwest coast of Java, it has an area of and a population of 8,489,910...
. In India it is considered as the contemporary representation of the mythical
GarudaThe Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology....
. In Malaysia, the island of
LangkawiLangkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea,...
is named after the bird ('kawi' denoting an
ochreOchre or Ocher is term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as Red ochre. The more rarely used terms Purple ochre and Brown ochre also exist for variant hues...
-like stone used to decorate pottery, and a reference to the bird's primary plumage colour). In Bangladesh it is known as
Shonkho Chil. In the Philippines, it is known as
Lawin.
A fable from central
Bougainville IslandPolitically, Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, part of Papua New Guinea . This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 . It includes the adjacent island of Buka, and assorted...
relates how a mother left her baby under a banana tree while gardening, and the baby floated into the sky crying and transformed into
Kaa'nang, the Brahminy Kite, its necklace becoming the birds feathers.
Other sources
- Jayabalan,JA (1995) Breeding ecology of Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus in Cauvery Delta, south India. Ph.D. Dissertation, Bharathidasan University. Mannampandal, Tamil Nadu.
- Raghunathan,K (1985) Miscellaneous notes: a peculiar feeding habit of Brahminy Kite. Blackbuck. 1(3), 26-28.
- Nayak,Geetha (1999) Brahminy Kite feeding on honey from an active bees hive. Newsl. for Birdwatchers 39(3), 52.
- Jayakumar,S (1987) Feeding ecology of wintering Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) near Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary. M.Sc. Thesis, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli.
- Hicks, R. K. 1992. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus fishing? Muruk 5:143-144.
- van Balen, B. S., and W. M. Rombang. 2001. Nocturnal feeding by Brahminy Kites. Australian Bird Watcher 18:126.
External links