English: Did You Know!!!

Taxonomy of Shikra Scientific Name: Accipiter badius Common Name: Shikra Family: Accipitridae , Accipitriformes ,

                                               Aves ,  Chordata ,  Animalia

Species author: Gmelin, 1788 Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae Genus: Accipiter Species: A. badius Binomial name: Accipiter badius Feeding habits: lizards, small mammals, frogs, large insects and birds;

Description It’s been my all-time favourite bird, so much so that I even cast it as the legend, they’ve only shown themselves fleetingly, you hear their piercing calls, “ki-kee! ki-kee!” and catch a brief glimpse as they weave and link between the branches and boughs, but they have also posed for me on occasions, glowering fiercely at the camera out of yellow or blood-orange ringed eyes. Shikra, a diminutive hawk, smaller than a crow, with the fighting spirit and flying skill of a War Spitfire. Female Bird usually dark brown, with a delicate rusty basket-weave on the breast; male can be silvery-grey with the same patterns. Youngsters are more heavily stippled, with dark vertical streaks down the breast. They’re found pretty much everywhere in the country and here in Eastern ghats Koraput, Odihsa, (Amazing how no one else hears them!) They nest between February and June, building a messy platform of twigs high up in leafy trees like neem, tamarind and mango, and in eucalyptus trees.

The female shikra is larger than the male and weighs 130 to 260 grams. The wingspan is 50 to 70 cm. The shikra has short rounded wings and a narrow and long tail. The underside is white with fine rufous bars. The upper parts are grey. The lower belly has fewer bars and the thighs are white.

The wingtips are black and the central tail feathers have a dark terminal band. The male shikra have red iris and females have yellow-orange iris. The female shikra have brownish upper parts and the heavier barring on the underparts.

Habitat The Shikra inhabits a range of habitats including forests, deciduous woodland, plains, farmlands, savanna, arid steppe and urban areas.

Feeding habits

The Shikra species feed on small mammals, reptiles, small birds, insects and frogs.