Haliastur intermedius Gurney, Ibis (1865), 28; Sharpe, Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 314; Hand-List (1899), 1, 268; Oates,
Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 282; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 43.
La-uin', Lubang, Manila; ba-nog', Bohol, Ticao.
Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Bohol (Steere Exp., McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Buluan off
Mindanao (Mearns); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Catanduanes
(Whitehead); Cebu (Murray, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett);
Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor, Seale); Maestre de Campo (McGregor &
Worcester); Malanipa (Murray); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate
(Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Murray,
Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Porter);
Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar
(Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester);
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor). Celebes; Malay
Peninsula; Greater Sunda Islands; Indo-Chinese Provinces.
Adult.--Entire head and neck, chin, throat, and breast white,
with narrow black shaft-lines; rest of the plumage rich chestnut,
the shafts blackish, the chestnut most intense on mantle and back;
primaries black with light rufous bases; axillars and wing-lining
chestnut; tail chestnut, tipped with gray. Length of male, 470; wing,
410; tail, 210; culmen from base, 35; tarsus, 53.
"Young.--Above deep brown, the interscapulary feathers inclining
to dull maroon toward their tips, the rest of the feathers of
the upper surface tipped with rufous, and most of them externally
shaded with ashy gray; head and neck pale rufous, with buffy white
centers and tips to the feathers, giving a streaked appearance, as
in a young Milvus; forehead, lores, and sides of face white, with
narrow black shaft-lines to the feathers; ear-coverts slightly washed
with brown; chin whitish; rest of under surface pale rufous-brown,
the shaft-stripes distinct, all the feathers with central streaks
of buffy white, the chest-feathers darker, and washed with brown
on both margins, thighs and under tail-coverts inclining to maroon;
under wing-coverts and axillars clear brown, tipped with rufous or
maroon, and centered with black shaft-streaks." (Sharpe.)
"Extremely common. Frequently abundant about shipping in the harbors,
where it feeds on refuse thrown overboard from the ships. Often seen
feeding over surface of fresh-water streams as well. Not infrequently
met with hawking over open fields at some distance inland." (Bourns
and Worcester MS.)
"An egg of the Malayan brahminy kite taken in Borneo is of an elongated
elliptical form and plain white. Another, taken in the Philippine
Islands, is white, minutely speckled all over with dark brown. Neither
specimen shows any trace of gloss. They measure respectively: 49.5
by 35.5; 49.5 by 40.6." (Oates.)
The second egg mentioned above was taken in Siquijor by the Steere
Expedition.
Genus ELANUS Savigny, 1809.
Bill moderate, edge gently sinuate; culmen strongly curved; wings
long, extending beyond tip of tail; primaries not cut on inner webs;
tail slightly forked; tarsus feathered in front for half its length,
remainder of its surface covered with minute roundish scales.