158Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds

158 Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)

TABLE Species information for the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)

The Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. They are found in the Indian subcontinent, South-east Asia, and Australia as far south as New South Wales. They are found mainly on the coast and in inland wetlands, where they feed 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. The breeding season in South Asia is from December to April (del Hoyo et al. 2019). In southern and eastern Australia, it is August to October, and April to June in the north and west (Beruldsen 2003). The nests are constructed of small branches and sticks with a bowl inside and lined with leaves, and are located in various trees, often mangroves (Beruldsen 2003). They show considerable site fidelity nesting in the same area year after year. A clutch of two dull-white or bluish-white oval eggs are laid in a small stick nest in trees or mangroves. Both parents take part in nest building and feeding, but likely only the female incubates.

The incubation period is about 26 to 27 days (Ali and Ripley 1978). It is primarily a scavenger, feeding mainly on dead fish and crabs, especially in wetlands and marshland, but occasionally hunts live prey such as hares and bats (del Hoyo et al. 2019). They may also indulge in kleptoparasitism and attempt to steal prey from other birds (Kalsi and Rahul 1992). Brahminy Kites have even been recorded taking advantage of Irrawaddy Dolphins herding fish to the surface, in the Mekong River (Ryan 2012).

The global population is estimated to number >100,000 individuals (Ferguson-Lees et al. 2001). The population is declining, especially in South-East Asia, owing to loss of habitat, persecution, over-use of pesticides and, possibly, increased human hygiene resulting in reduction of available scraps (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). The Australian population estimate and trends are unknown.

The main threats to the Brahminy Kite is the loss of habitat due to coastal development, and the disturbance of nesting pairs by human activity (Ferguson-Lees et al. 2001). Potential threats to the Brahminy Kite include poisoning, shooting, competition with White-bellied Sea-Eagle. Collision with wind turbines have also been identified as a potential threat to the Brahminy Kite. Raptors are thought to be at higher risk of collision due to their tendency to make flights in the swept area.

Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds 159

Chapter 12 References