Brahminy kite (Milvus indus to Haliastur indus) breeds widely in most of India and Sri Lanka. This is also found in SE Asia, China, the Philippines, New Guinea, northern Australia, and the Solomon Islands. This 19 inch kite has a white head and neck and breast all slightly marked with brown, pale brown wings tipped with black, and pale brown thighs.

The young are generally brownish with an off white head and neck.

The images as shown in Guy Dutson birds of Melanesia (Solomons and Bismarcks) show a pure white head, neck and upper breast. The lower breast, dorsal wings, and back are reddish brown. When in flight, the underside of the wings shows a reddish brown leading area, and the feathers are much paler with black tips.

There are 4 subspecies mentioned in Howard and Moore (2003). The nominate subspecies is found in India, Sri Lanka, southern China, and SE Asia. The subspecies intermedius is found from Malaysia to the Philippines and south to Sulawesi (Celebes).

The subspecies girrenera is found in the vicinity of New Guinea and Australia. The subspecies flavirostris is found in the Solomon Islands.

The brahminy and whistling kite genus (Haliastur) contains two species. One species, H. indus, brahminy kite, is found from India east through much of southern Asia and south through much of Indonesia to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The other species, H. sphenurus, whistling kite, is more local found in eastern New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Australia. Haliastur indus is from about 17 to 20 inches in length while Haliastur sphenurus is from about 20 to 23 inches in length. The adult brahminy kite is boldly colored, while the immature brahminy and the whistling kite have dark brown wings with a pale head, neck, and breast.

The kites are divided into several subfamilies including the Elaninae, Perninae, and the Milvinae. Included here is the Eurasian Lammergeyer with a wingspan of about 9 feet. Also included here is the swallowtail kite found from the southern United States to Argentina. Several groups are listed:
Elaninae - white tail kites - about 7 species
Perninae - swallowtail and hook bill kites
Milvinae - true kites

Hawks and Eagles (Family Accipitridae) are a group of 205 species found in most areas of the world. Actually, the common terms of eagle, hawk, kite, buzzard, and vulture are rather loosely used, and consequently, are not much help in understanding this family. Here, this family has been separated into seven groups: typical hawks, Old World vultures, eagles and related hawks, fish eagles, kites, harriers and marsh hawks, and a misc. group. A more precise division might be:
Aegypinae - Old World Vultures -
Elaninae - White Tailed Kites - 7 species
Perninae - Swallowtailed and Hook Billed Kites
Milvinae - True kites -
Accipitrinae - Hunting hawks - 40 species
Buteoninae - Large hawks and eagles - 90 species
Circinae - Harriers and marsh hawks - 17 species
Circaetinae - Serpent eagles

There is no universal agreement on the division of this group, and some authors lump them altogether. We hope our arbitrary separation helps in the study of this group.

Birds of Prey (Order Falconiformes) group contains the eagles, hawks, falcons, Old World vultures, and related birds. The majority of the species in this group feed on small animals, fish, and other birds. A few species eat dead animals. Most of them are excellent fliers and have very strong legs and claws for grasping their prey. There are about 239 species in the hawk and eagle group and about 61 species in the falcon group. When you include the unique osprey and the unique secretary bird, you total about 302 species more or less depending upon a few controversial subspecies.

(The 7 species of New World vultures have recently been placed near the pelicans and storks and were not counted in our 302 number. However, for historical reasons we have left those vultures below here, as our purpose is defining species, and helping users navigate the large number of species.)

Aves contains about 8,650 different species of living birds known to science. Each year about one new species is discovered in some remote rain forest or remote island. In addition, scientists have been raising many subspecies to full species status which may raise the species count to 10,000. Birdlife recognizes 10,027 species as of 2011.

However, each year about one species goes extinct. The rate of extinction is increasing, and the rate of new discovery is decreasing, so that the number of bird species will soon begin to decline rapidly. Although different taxonomists would organize the birds differently, there are approximately twenty-seven orders of birds. These orders are broken down into about one hundred and fifty-five different families.

Recent research of the genetic structure of some of the shore birds and owls would indicate that the present organization of orders and families should have some modification.

The birds are a worldwide group of animals that are characterized by having the front limbs modified into wings that are used for flying. Perhaps the most unique feature of the birds is the feathers. These feathers are made up of a central support called a quill and a series of small filaments that are hooked together as barbs.

For many years it was believed that Archaeopteryx discovered in Bavaria was the oldest bird from about 150 million years ago. However, in l986, Sankar Chattterjee, a Texas paleontologist, reportedly discovered a bird in the genus Protoavis that lived about 225 million years ago.

When this project was begun in 1978, we used Austin & Singer for bird taxonomy. Since then, we have adopted many changes, but have kept some older concepts that are still found widely in the literature. Recently, we have used Clements and Howard & Moore. Very recently, we have used Monroe and Sibley for the higher taxonomy of the perching birds.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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