Haliastur indus (Brahminy Kite) IUCN Status: Least Concern This is another species I’ve wanted meaningful photos of for ages. They are not that hard to see, but extremely skittish, so getting close enough and have the bird adequately fill the frame has been frustrating. This individual was half of a pair that I found hanging around the foreshore only a few hundred meters from our house.
Unlike the other common coastal birds of prey of prey (Osprey and White-Bellied Sea Eagles) Brahminy Kites are predominately scavengers. I’ve watched them pick up nasty old fish carcases and fly off. How these birds can eat this and survive is a mystery to me.
