Rescued Brahminy Kite turned over to DENR

A juvenile Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus),  locally known as Dapay, was recently rescued and was turned over to the municipality of Bingawan, Iloilo.

The bird was later turned over to the personnel of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Barotac Nuevo – Forest Ranger Mercy Benedicto, Florence Leyble, Forest Technician II Reyzel Joy Almendrajo and Wilbert Ardeloso.

The simple turn-over ceremony was held at the Bingawan Municipal Hall.

CENRO’s assessment found the bird had no injuries and is healthy and aggressive. It will soon be released back to its natural habitat.

The Brahminy Kite is formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia. It is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family of Accipitridae and also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers.

It is distinctive and contrastingly colored, 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 kite in Asia by the paler appearance, shorter wings and rounded tail.

The bird is a familiar sight in the skies of Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia, including Philippines and as far south as New South Wales, Australia, through which region it is widespread and resident. They perform seasonal movements associated with rainfall in some parts of their range.

It is evaluated as being of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. (DENR-6)