March Bird of the Month

One of my most favorite birds is the majestic Láwin (Brahminy Kite), still a fairly visible raptor pretty much lording the skies all over the archipelago. I guess it requires a big area of land and forest to thrive as they are more often visible in the bigger islands like Luzón. In our area in the Malaráyat foothills, it flies high up in the air with its wide and distinct wingspan clearly visible from below, surveying the land below with its keen eyesight (thus, we allude in Tagálog with the metaphor matang láwin).


On some clear days, we can all the more distinguish it because of its distinct chocolate brown feathers. More often than not, it is a solitary bird and is most active in the mid-mornings.

Photographed at the Wildlife Rescue Center, Quezon City