The Brahminy kite, or Haliastur Indus, is a medium-sized bird of prey that belongs to the group Accipitridae. It is known as the red-backed sea eagle in Australia. These birds are easily recognizable by their distinctive colouring. Adults have reddish-brown plumage contrasting with a snow-white head, whitish beak and pale yellow legs. Silver-gray lines streak the white of its head and chest. Younger birds are browner with shorter wings. This bird is found in India, South East Asia and Australia in wetlands, coastal regions, mangroves and estuaries.
These birds are very playful and like to drop leaves in the air and try to catch them! They utter a lamb-like ‘keeyew’ call to communicate with other birds. They soar high during the day looking for prey and prefer to scavenge for dead fish and crabs. They will also hunt bats, hares and insects when necessary. They are very social compared to eagles and are known to roost or gather in huge numbers even reaching up to 600!
They are monogamous and form life-lasting bonds. They prefer to make their nests in mangroves, out of small sticks and leaves and reuse the same nest year after year. The female lays 2 dull-white or bluish-white eggs. Both the male and female are active parents with the male taking on feeding duties while the female carries out incubation, which lasts around 26 to 27 days. Brahminy chicks remain with their parents for around 4 months.
They are listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List, but their population is declining due to habitat loss and persecution.
Picture Credit : Google
