Brahminy Kite
Brahminy KiteBrahminy KiteBrahminy KiteBrahminy Kite

Brahminy Kite

Haliastur indus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Bako National Park
89 Verified sightings at Bako National Park From 2019 to 2026
8,412 Verified sightings across all 40 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Brahminy Kite

The brahminy kite (Haliastur indus), also known as the red-backed sea-eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers, found in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The brahminy kite is found mainly on the coast and in inland wetlands, where it feeds on dead fish and other prey. Adults have a reddish-brown body plumage contrasting with their white head and breast which make them easy to distinguish from other birds of prey.

In 1760, French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson described and illustrated the Brahminy kite in the first volume of his Oiseaux based on a specimen collected in Pondicherry, India. He used the French name L'aigle de Pondichery. The brahminy kite was included by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. It was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither Brisson nor Buffon included a scientific... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Bako National Park

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle
LC

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus leucogaster

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Crested Hawk-Eagle
LC Endemic

Crested Hawk-Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Nisaetus cirrhatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Oriental Honey-buzzard
LC

Oriental Honey-buzzard

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Pernis ptilorhynchus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Blyth's Hawk-Eagle
LC

Blyth's Hawk-Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Nisaetus alboniger

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
2 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
3 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
4 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
5 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
6 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~50%
7 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~50%
8 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~40%
9 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
10 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
11 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
12 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
13 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
14 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
15 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
16 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
17 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
18 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
19 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
20 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
21 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
22 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
23 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
24 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
25 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
26 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
27 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
28 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
29 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
30 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
31 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
32 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
33 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
34 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
35 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
Insufficient data
36 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
37 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
38 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
39 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data
40 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Brahminy Kite in Bako National Park?

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Brahminy Kite sighting in Bako National Park, based on 89 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Brahminy Kite in Bako National Park?

July has the highest sighting rate for Brahminy Kite in Bako National Park in our monthly data.

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