''Haliastur'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of medium-sized diurnal

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

. It consists of two

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

kites A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

which form part of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Milvinae The Milvinae kites are found in the family Accipitridae The Accipitridae is one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. ...

; some authorities place these species in the genus ''

Milvus ''Milvus'' is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey. The genus was erected by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799 with the red kite as the type species. The name is the Latin word for the red kite. Species This is an Old ...

'', despite clear differences in behaviour,

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...

and

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

. The genus was erected by the English naturalist

Prideaux John Selby Prideaux John Selby FRSE FLS (23 July 1788 – 27 March 1867) was an English ornithologist, botanist and natural history artist. Life Selby was born in Bondgate Street in Alnwick in Northumberland, the eldest son of George Selby of Beal a ...

in 1840 with

brahminy kite The brahminy kite (''Haliastur indus''), formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. ...

(''Haliastur indus'') as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

. The name of the genus combines the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''hali-'' "sea-" and the Latin ''astur'' meaning "hawk".

Description

The two Haliastur species are medium-sized birds of prey with a strong, slightly squat rump, small head, relatively short and wide wings, a medium-long, rounded tail and short but strong legs and toes. The Whistling kite reaches a body length of 50 to 60 centimeters and has a wingspan of 120 to 145 centimeters. Males weigh an average of 700 grams, the females are significantly heavier at 850 grams. The

Brahminy kite The brahminy kite (''Haliastur indus''), formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. ...

is a little smaller. Its body length is 44–52 cm, of which 18–22 cm are accounted for by the tail. The span is 110–125 cm. There is no sexual dimorphism in either species, but the females are slightly larger than the males in both species. The wedge tail has a sand-colored to brown plumage, which is partly dashed. Fledglings have only slightly different plumage than the adult birds. This is different with the

. In adult birds of this species, the head, neck, chest and upper abdomen are white with a more or less distinct, fine, dark longitudinal stripe. The back, upper wing coverts, the upper side of the arm wings, the upper side of the inner wing wing and the basal half of the outer wing wing, the small and middle under wing coverts, the lower abdomen and the leg fletching are dark rust-red. The young birds of this species are all in all almost monochrome, dark blackish gray-brown. The head, neck and the underside of the trunk are spotted and dashed lighter brown. They are thus similar to the adult wedge-tailed harriers and can be confused with one another when observing in the field

Species list

Both of the species found in this genus are large for kites; both are relatively small-headed and have rounded tail tips.

Distribution

The distribution area of the genus extends from the Indian subcontinent to New Caledonia and Tasmania. The distribution area of the

Whistling kite The whistling kite (''Haliastur sphenurus'') is a medium-sized diurnal raptor found throughout Australia (including coastal islands), New Caledonia and much of New Guinea (excluding the central mountains and the northwest). Also called the whistl ...

extends from Cenderawasih Bay in western New Guinea to Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea off the east coast of New Guinea. The range also includes the Solomon Islands east of New Guinea and New Caledonia off the Australian northeast coast. In Australia the wedge-tailed harrier is a very widespread species. It is only absent in parts of the Great Sand Desert. the Nullarbor Desert, the Great Victoria Desert, and the Gibson Desert. The distribution area of the

includes large parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea as well as the east and north of Australia.

References

Bird genera * * Taxa named by Prideaux John Selby {{Accipitriformes-stub