The Zoologist/4th series, vol 6 (1902)/Issue 738/The Indian Pariah Kite (Milvus govinda): A Record of Observations Made During the Nesting Period

by J.S. Costello

 

THE INDIAN PARIAH KITE (MILVUS GOVINDA):
A RECORD OF OBSERVATIONS MADE DURING
THE NESTING PERIOD.

By J.S. Costello.

 

An unique opportunity having presented itself for watching the habits of this bird during nesting, it was suggested that I should take notes of all the observations I made. The spot selected for the nest was the corner of a narrow abutting wall just below a window casement, so that I could without any difficulty have a close view of it at all times.

The nest I found was a heterogeneous medley of branches, bones, twigs, old pieces of cloth, leaves, and a few bones. This is curious in the light that the nests of most birds, with perhaps the exception of the Indian Crow, are usually composed of the branches and twigs of trees. I am unable to say definitely how long the process of completing the nest took, but it must have been over a week, as I had for many days noticed a gradual increase of the above-mentioned refuse, though at the beginning I had no idea as to how it originated. The event occurred in January, from which I infer that it is during the spring months of the year that this species of Indian Kite lays its eggs.

Unfortunately, in the present case I have not been able to determine the exact day on which the eggs were laid. I found two in the nest. To all appearance they resemble a large-sized fowl's egg. I noticed that the female did not incubate continuously all day. Occasionally I have seen it perched on the terrace of the building, occupying a position whence it could plainly see its nest, and when I opened the window it would come sweeping down, or, if in the nest, fluttered away, shrieking all the time, and circling about in front of its nest. This it would continue to do until the window was closed, when it settled down peacefully in its nest. On two or three occasions I went on the terrace to ascertain how it would behave, and then my advent caused immediate alarm. Both the male and female Kites would hover about excitedly just above my head, and if I approached, however cautiously, too near the spot where the nest was, they swooped down quite close to me, as if threatening to attack.

The male bird invariably sat on the terrace, probably keeping sentry over the nest against possible invaders of its kind. I have never found it in closer proximity to the nest. At certain times in the day it was not there, being away most probably in search of food. I have noticed the absence of the female too for short periods, doubtless on the same errand as its mate.

On the morning of the 4th February, i.e. after an incubation of about three weeks' duration, I found that one egg was hatched. The young one was somewhat larger than a newly-hatched chicken. It had the usual amount of downy feathers, of an ashy hue, distributed over the body. The beak was very prominent, exhibiting markedly the characteristic curve of its species. When any kind of noise was made within its hearing it would feebly flutter its tiny wings, and behave as do young birds when a morsel is offered to them. The mother-bird was generally away in the mornings in search of food—a fact I knew from the circumstance that upon its return I invariably found bits of bone and other offal lying near the nest. The male was always somewhere near during these intervals of absence of its mate, for no sooner did I show myself at the window, then it would appear hovering about in front of the nest in a threatening manner, and, with its shrill piercing tones, endeavour to frighten me away. This it would never desist doing until I disappeared.

On the morning of the 7th I found the other egg was hatched, i.e. on the third day after the first one. This bird was smaller than its companion, which was all the difference that could be traced, and it appeared that they did not show nearly so much vitality as the young of other birds do directly after they have emerged from their eggs. They were usually to be seen nestled together asleep, and only when being fed or disturbed did they utter their feeble cries. I was not able to determine exactly whether the mother fed its young at regular intervals. Judging, however, from the fact that it occupied itself all day in sheltering the fledglings in the nest, I am inclined to the belief that the mornings were generally selected by the mother as the feeding-time, and sometimes, though not often, during the afternoon. Now and again it was my custom to place a piece of meat on the window-sill, which the parent bird would carry to its nest, and make a meal of, not forgetting its progeny. In order to find out how it would behave when subject to terrorism while in its nest, I attempted on one or two occasions to frighten it with a stick, but, nothing daunted, it immediately assumed a threatening attitude, and commenced a series of assaults on the offensive object with a ferocity born of an instinctive resolve to defend the little brood and. itself to the utmost. If I persisted in my efforts at intimidation, it would fly away, but only to return immediately and renew its formidable defence. On the withdrawal of the stick it would resume its peaceful avocation in the nest.

On the 21st February I found the younger fledgling dead in the nest. It was quite flattened out, a circumstance indicating that the mother must either have trampled it to death by accident, or sat upon it too heavily. The carcase was intact, but on the fourth day after the occurrence there was nothing left but a few fragments scattered about; the mother, apparently knowing that the bird was dead, had made a meal of it.

The nest itself now was more or less a mass of bones, causing it to emit a most obnoxious smell, and this offal doubtless formed the daily collection of food.

The other fledgling was growing apace, and its permanent feathers were now beginning to appear. It could stand erect and move about, though in a languid way, in the nest. The male bird continued keeping his accustomed watch on the terrace, while the female devoted her attention towards rearing the young, and bringing in the daily supply of food. I was particularly struck with this division and assignment of duties, conforming doubtless with some hidden rule which finds its analogy in the sphere of human relations.

The development of the young bird was gradual. As the days succeeded each other, and it became stronger and larger in stature, it would walk along the narrow edge of wall, ever and anon preening its feathers, or gazing silently at its surroundings. The wild and untameable instincts of the Kite manifested themselves in this young fledgling, for whenever it saw me at the window, it would erect its feathers and wear a fierce aspect. Though the mother did not now sit on the nest, it was always close by, as if in tender solicitude for the safety of its young one.

On the 14th of March, i.e. thirty-nine days after it had come out of its egg-shell, I found that the young bird had flown—gone to play its humble part with its fellows in the great economy of life.

Calcutta.