- Haliastur indus
Identification
Length 44–52 cm (17¼-20½ in), wingspan 109–124 cm, weight 320–670 g
Adult
- Male slightly smaller than female; no sex difference in plumage
- Chestnut brown body and wings except for black outer primaries
- Black outer primaries
- White head and breast, finely streaked grey or pure white (see Subspecies, below)
- Tail relatively short; square-ended, to rounded when fanned; not forked
- Pale blue-grey to yellow bill
- Yellowish feet
Juvenile
- Brown all over, mottled and streaked
- Underwing with dark brown carpal bar and secondaries, pale secondary coverts and inner primaries (forming a broad pale 'H' across the wingspan), and black outer primaries
Similar species
Adults unmistakable. In Australia, juvenile easily confused with Whistling Kite and Square-tailed Kite; note shorter tail of Brahminy, and exact pattern of dark and pale on underwing. Black Kite can be distinguished by its shallowly forked tail.
Distribution
Southern Asia to Australia.
Breeds in much of India and Sri Lanka and in mainly coastal areas from Burma and southern China south to Malaya and from the Philippines, Borneo and Sumatra east to New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands, and Australia. In Australia a northern coastal species found from about Shark Bay in Western Australia to central New South Wales.
Resident.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Four subspecies are recognised[1]:
- H. i. indus:
- Breeds from Pakistan (Indus Valley) and India south to Sri Lanka and east to southeastern China and Indochina
- Head and breast with obvious grey streaks; bill pale blue-grey with pale yellow cere and cutting edge
- H. i. intermedius:
- Breeds in Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia
- Head and breast with faint grey streaks; bill pale blue-grey with pale yellow cere and cutting edge
- H. i. girrenera:
- Breeds in Australia, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago
- Head and breast pure white; bill pale blue-grey with pale yellow cere and cutting edge
- Breeds in Australia, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago
- H. i. flavirostris:
- Breeds in the Solomon Islands
- Head and breast pure white; bill all pale yellow
Habitat
Coastal mudflats, islands, estuaries, mangroves, and inland wetlands and farmland up to 2,300m. In some areas common in coastal towns.
Behaviour
Photo © by Ken Doy
King Island, Wellington Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 August 2017
Breeding
It nests in mangroves or other trees close to water. The nest is made of twigs and sticks, usually lined with dried mud. The 2 white eggs have scattered red-brown blotches. Both adults care for the young.
Diet
The diet includes frogs, small snakes, crabs, insects and fish. It also scavenges.
Vocalisation
Call: a mewing keeyew, kweeaa or kyeeer.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Nominate subspecies in flight
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Gohana, Dist. Sonipat, Haryana, India, 12 January 2017
Sub-adult H. i. intermedius
Photo © by Bobby6425
Philippines, 9 October 2009
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Debus, S., Marks, J.S. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52980 on 3 November 2019).
- Global Raptor Information Network. 2019. Species account: Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus. Downloaded from http://www.globalraptors.org on 2 Nov. 2019
- Gregory, P. (2017) Birds of New Guinea, Including Bismarck Archipelago and Boughainville. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Brahminy Kite. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brahminy_Kite
External Links
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