Shikra

Latin Name: 
Accipiter badius
Category: 
Size: 
32cm
Description: 

Ashy-grey above; whitish below, close-barred with rust-brown; grey throat-stripe; in flight, the multi-banded tail and roundish wings help identification; golden-yellow eyes and yellow legs and feet seen at close range. The migrant Eurasian Sparrowhawk A. nisus is very similar but a closer look reveals the longer legs,  rufous cheek-patch and absence of mesial stripe in nisus. Usually solitary; hides in leafy branches; pounces on unsuspecting prey; occasionally chases small birds; soars over forest.

Habitat: 
light forest, open country, neighbourhood of villages, also in cities.
Food: 
rodents, small birds, lizards, large insects; also robs poultry.
Distribution: 
resident; subcontinent, up to 1,600m in the Himalaya.
Call: 
Call Description: 
loud, drongo-like titew…titew.
National Status: