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Brahminy Kite

Haliastur indus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernScavengerCoastalPlatform nestLarge · 529 g
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 1
Photo: Afsar Nayakkan · CC BY 4.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 2
Photo: Afsarnayakkan · CC BY 3.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 3
Photo: Dhruvaraj S from India · CC BY 2.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 4
Photo: Jenny Saito · CC BY 4.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 5
Photo: Thorsten Hackbarth · CC BY 4.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 6
Photo: Thorsten Hackbarth · CC BY 4.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 7
Photo: sunnyjosef · CC BY 4.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 8
Photo: York Niu · CC BY 4.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 9
Photo: York Niu · CC BY 4.0
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), photo 10
Photo: J.M.Garg · CC BY 3.0

ID tip

The bird measures 45–51 cm (18–20 in) in length, 109–124 cm (43–49 in) in wingspan, and weighs 320–673 g (11.3–23.7 oz). 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 kites 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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Brahminy Kite

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Brahminy Kite

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 22 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

India Australia Sri Lanka Thailand Singapore Malaysia Indonesia Philippines Papua New Guinea Bangladesh Cambodia Solomon Islands Pakistan Timor-Leste Myanmar (Burma) Vietnam Brunei Nepal Laos China Hong Kong SAR China United Arab Emirates

Recorded as a rare visitor in Taiwan, Maldives.

About the Brahminy Kite

The brahminy kite, also known as the red-backed sea-eagle in India, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers, found in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The brahminy kite is found mainly on the coast and in inland wetlands, where it feeds on dead fish and other prey. Adults have a reddish-brown body plumage contrasting with their white head and breast which make them easy to distinguish from other birds of prey.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus) Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurusThe whistling kite ranges in size from 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24 in), with a wingspan between 123 and 146 cm (4 ft 0 in and 4 ft 9 in).

Side by side: Brahminy Kite vs Whistling Kite

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