Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus Fishing?

Since January 1990 I have regularly recorded an adult and immature Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus on my Town Bird Survey site at Matirogo Point, Port Moresby (National Capital District). Over this time the immature has been slowly attaining its adult plumage and now only has some flecks of white in the rufous of the upper wing. North of Matirogo Point, a stream flows into a small, unnamed bay and at low tide flows across the exposed mudflats. At 11:05 on 17 September 1990, when the tide was half out, these two Brahminy Kites were seen bathing in the stream. They stood within two feet of each other, in water that was almost belly-deep. After about 5 minutes, the immature flew c. 10 m to a rock, on which it perched. The adult remained in the water and began, apparently, to fish. It waded c. 30 m through the shallows of the stream, stopping frequently. During the stops it occasionally stabbed at something on or in the water. It made a total six stabs in seven minutes. Each stab seemed to be successful, although the distance from my vantage point to the bird, c. 150 m, was too great for the prey to be discernible. The stabbing action it used for "fishing" was of too short a duration for the bird to have been drinking. After seven minutes wading the adult Brahminy Kite flew and landed near the immature. The immature took off immediately, circled the bay and then was joined by the adult.

Rand & Gilliard (1967) recorded one Brahminy Kite that had eaten many small fish, but considered they may have been carrion. Coates (1985) reports that Brahminy Kites are expert at snatching fish from just below the surface, but there are no PNG records of Brahminy Kites fishing in the manner described above.

Coates, B.J. 1985. The Birds of Papua New Guinea. Vol 1. Dove Publications.
Rand, A.L. & E.T. Gilliard. 1967. The Handbook of New Guinea Birds. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.