THE MALAYAN BRAHMlNY KITE 
Distribution : — Taking a broad view as to the constitution 
of the species it may be said that this kite is not foiipd west of 
India, but it is found through that country, Burma, China, 
Siatn, the Malay Peninsula and thence through the islands to 
northern Australia. 
In the Malay Peninsala it is a common bird being found 
all round the coasts in very similar situations to those fre- 
quented by the white-bellied sea-eagle. 
Status in Singapore \ — -A very common bird, flocks of 
which can usually be seen in the harbour, the birds flyini^ 
ronnd about the ships, snatching garbage from the surface 
of the water. Large numbers can at times be seen on the 
Thomson Road Reservoir and very often examples may be 
seen against the sky over the town, 
Ficy Notes: — This is the common bird of prey of the 
neighbotirhood and the large size combined with the bright 
chestnut and pure white plumage of the adult render it un- 
mistakable. If birds are obsen^ed as they fly about the harbour 
it will be seen that, on the wing, some appear to be quite 
uniform brown in colour. These are of course the young birds. 
Other habits : — This kite is almost mvariably found in the 
vicinity of water, from the surface of which it seizes its food, 
consisting chiefly of refuse, whh its feet. It also eats fish, 
frogs and crabs. It is a noisy bird when feeding uttering a 
quenilous squealing note. Along the coasts it is most abundant 
in the vicinity of the villages and fishing places, Kelham 
writes ; ''At Knala Kangsa, in company with crows, they used 
to collect at the place where all the offal from our canip was 
deposited, and carry off any filth they could find, often chasing 
the crows and making them drop any particularly dainty morsel, 
which was quickly picked up by the pursuing kite, though he, 
in his turn frequently had to ran the gauntlet of his comrades". 
This bird often visits the Botanic Gardens and Ridley 
thought that it nested in large trees near 'Tyersalf, although 
he never found the nest. 
Blanford states that the name Brahminy Kite is due to 
the association of the bird with Vishnu, 
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