28/04/2020
I have closely watched ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ต๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ (๐๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด) on several occasions, be it during Birdwatching field trips, photography trips, family outings or during official travel, but this was a different experience as for the first time ever I could witness the scavenging behavior of this kite, that I had only read about previously.
Brahminy kites are known fish-eaters (both hunted and picked-up from fishermenโs catch), but only on this occasion I could see this magnificent bird of prey feeding on a pound of flesh from a dead animalโs remains. Several questions run in my mind as I see my pictures of that day, how did the kite get this pound of flesh inside the dense mangrove forest where the nearest human settlement was miles away, if we consider this as picked from a butcherโs work? Could this be from the remains of a tigerโs kill? could this be from a salt water crocodileโs kill? Could this be a part of garbage thrown overboard from some boat? or could this be from the remains of any dead animal in the forest?
From the appearance of the flesh I feel that it is not a part of any fish or bird, but of some large mammal.
Whatever the source be, I am happy to have got this opportunity to witness scavenging behavior of Brahminy kite from my sailing boat as I could also have the pleasure to photograph it while feeding, before it took off seeing my boat approaching.
ยฉ๏ธ Dr. Suvrashis Sarkar
Sundarbans, India
Dec 2017
๐ฆ ๐ท
