Hindu religion generally considers life forms as sacred and it has developed sanctity by association, such as the swan, eagle and bull that serve as vehicles for the major deities such as the Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, respectively. Some animals such as the Hanuman langur, cobra and elephant are sacred themselves since they are revered as Hanuman, the monkey god, Naga, the snake god, and Ganesha, the elephant god. But what many do not know is the fact that some animals do carry caste discriminating names.

Two of India's fascinating birds carry caste names. One is the common pariah kite (Milvus migrans) and the other is the brahminy kite (Haliastur indus)