Myanmar Hawks

It’s not every day you get in contact with someone from northern Myanmar, so it was with interest that I read an email asking for help from the manager of a lodge in Kachin State, Northern Burma.

Malikha Lodge landscape

Malikha Lodge is luxury accommodation set up in a remote wilderness retreat, and the manager got in contact because some locals had presented him with three raptor chicks. They advised that the chicks had been ‘found’ far away and that the mother had flown away. He was keen to see them returned to the wild.

Having grown up in Farnham, and visited the Hawk Conservancy a few times, the manager knew about our rehabilitation work with raptors. We started by trying to identify the species, which we concluded were Black-shouldered Kites Elanus caerulus, and then began to discuss possible release techniques.

Black Shouldered Kite chicks

The kites were apparently doing well on a diet of chopped meat, and some local children were supplying supplementary insects and rodents. A bamboo aviary was built, and contact between humans and the birds was kept to an absolute minimum.

One of the potential problems with the position of the release aviary was some local ants. These large ants are called fire ants, and presumably would not have taken kindly to a new 'nest' being put in one of their trees. The risk of an attack was a concern, so the position of the release pen was considered carefully.

Black Shouldered Kite

As the chicks progressed, it was obvious that one was significantly older than that others – it was quite capable of tearing the food being provided, and probably was dominant over the other two.

The time approached for kites to be released, but there was a delay due to the weather – solid rain for over a week. Eventually, the rain reduced to a drizzle, and the door was opened.

Almost immediately the largest of the three took off and headed for the forest. The signs were good, as the bird was a strong flier and the warm weather after the rain had lead to a big increase in the amount of insects.

The other two kites were a bit slower to leave the aviary, but once out, they flew immediately to the forest. The surrounding countryside is well forested, and following the kites was not possible.

Malikha Lodge forest

The aviary was left open, and food continued to be put out for the kites during the week after they left the aviary. Although the food was not taken, the abundance of prey in the surrounding forest means that the kites would have had a good chance to find some prey.

Without the efforts of the concerned manager, the kites were destined to be sold as pets. With a bit of investigation, and the ease of communication by email, the kites have now been given the best chance of life in the wild.