Brahminy Kite

Description:

The Brahminy Kite is one of the medium-sized raptors (birds of prey), with a white head and breast. The rest of its body is a striking chestnut brown. The very tip of its tail is white. The wings are broad, with dark 'fingered' wing tips and the tail is short. The legs are short and not feathered, the eye is dark and the lemon yellow coloured bill is strongly hooked. It sails on level wings along shorelines and mudflats.

Habitat:

The Brahminy Kite feeds on carrion (dead animals), insects and fish. It swoops low over water, the ground or tree tops and snatches live prey or carrion from the surface. It also steals from fish-hunting birds, snatching prey in flight. It harries or bothers other birds such as gulls, Whistling Kites, Osprey or Australian White Ibis. Brahminy Kites are secure in Australia. Being scavengers, they benefit from waste at tips, on roadsides and in harbours.