นกเหยี่ยวขนาดเล็ก as they say in Thailand. The Common Kite. とびか？とんびか？ どっち？！

The Common Kite?

There's nothing 'common' about these birds, other than their numbers. I never tired of watching the Brahminy kites (Milvus Govinda) swooping across the temple reservoirs in Kerala, and I love watching them here in Japan.

トビ（鳶、学名：Milvus migrans）は、タカ目タカ科に属する鳥類の一種。トンビとも言う。

ほとんど羽ばたかずに尾羽で巧みに舵をとり、上昇気流に乗って輪を描きながら上空へ舞い上がる様や、「ピーヒョロロロロ…」という鳴き声はよく知られており、日本ではもっとも身近な猛禽類である。

This is the European version. Milvus Ictinus. The Westerners named their bird after the co-architect of the Parthenon. The Indians named it after Krishna, the Supreme Being or avatar of Vishnu, depending who you believe. 'Govinda' means 'the Protector of Cows'.

The whirling birds-of-prey that we see above the Kamo River here in Kyoto, with their plainitive wailing call are also kites. Tobi, or in common parlance, Tombi. 'Siberian Black Kites' says the book. So, er, how come they are brown?

You'll often see them in aerial combat with Asiatic Crows. For all the kites' aerobatic brilliance and fierce exterior, nine times out of ten the crows kick their butts.

A Tombi stole my friend's cheese sandwich, by the way. Rude fellow.

This one here was photographed at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania. I wouldn't mind going there. I hear they have the most awesome crater known to mankind. Or birdkind, for that matter. And they get the better view.

BTW, とびいろ髪, or 'tobi iro kami' means light-auburn hair in Japanese. And 'tobi-shokunin' are the traditional scaffolders who dared the heights to build Edo Castle.

And last but not least, don't you think 'the High Kites' would be a cool name for a band? They'd have to be from Portland or Seattle, I reckon.