THE BRAHMINY KITE

FACT FILE

The Brahminy Kite [haliastur indus] at BWF. Excellent and agile predators. See them up close and personal.

The Brahminy Kite is a familiar bird of prey and often referred to as the Singapore Bald Eagle.

Brahminy Kites are more scavengers than hunters. But they also hunt for small prey (fish, crabs, shellfish, frogs, rodents, reptiles, even insects). They forage both over water and land, soaring 20-50m above the surface.

Prey on the water surface is snatched with their talons, Brahminy Kites don't dive into the water. They may even snatch swarming termites on the wing with their talons.

Brahminy Kites prefer to nest in mangroves, usually in tall emergent trees. Some use dead trees (perhaps the tree was alive when it was first used as a nest site). On swampy sites that are more secure from land predators, they may nest as low as 5-6 m. But on dry land, usually at 20-25 m. In Singapore, they also nest along the coasts in casuarina trees, and near reservoirs. Although they do not share nesting trees, pairs may nest less than 100 m apart.

Their nest is compact and made of twigs and sticks, usually 60-90 cm wide and 15-30 cm deep. The nest is often lined with dried mud. A first-time nest is usually thin, but as the pair reuse the site, the nest thickens. 2 eggs are laid, white with sparse red-brown blotches.

Both parents raise the young. Unfortunately their numbers are declining due to habitat loss. They are also hunted in Thailand, along with other kites, and their young taken for pets.

Their tendency to raid prawn and fish farms, and even steal chickens, also cause them to be considered as pests in some areas.

Brahminy Kite at Botolan Wildlife Farm Zambales

Habitats best suited to Brahminy Kites are broad mudflats such as those found in mangroves, estuaries and coasts. They are also found in freshwater wetlands such as ricefields and marshes. In Singapore, they are also found inland near water and even in cultivated areas (gardens, parks). They may roost together in trees along the coast.

During mating season (November-December), Brahminy Kites perform aerial acrobatics. They mate on or near the nest.

They scavenge from food scraps and garbage and are thus quite common at harbours and coastal fish/food processing sites.

But Brahminy Kites don't just passively forage. They flush shorebirds roosting on the mudflats into flight to identify the weak.

They are attracted to fires to catch any fleeing animals. They may steal from other raptors including large ones like the White-bellied Fish Eagle. Their catch is eaten on the wing, to prevent theft. When several quarrel over a meal, they squeal.