Jerdon's Baza
Aviceda jerdoni
褐冠鹃隼
Description
A moderate-sized brown hawk measuring approximately 46 centimeters in length. The most distinctive feature is a thin, white-tipped black crest that is usually held erect. The underparts are mostly plain and pale, with a white chin and a bold black mesial stripe running down the throat. In flight, it can be distinguished from similar species by its very broad, rounded, paddle-shaped wings and the notably longer upright crest. The overall coloration is brown, and several subspecies are recognized across its extensive range.
Distribution & Habitat
Found across South-east Asia, from the terai of North India and foothills of the Eastern Himalayas through Nepal, Bengal duars, and Assam valley, south to the Western Ghats in Southern India and southern Sri Lanka. The range extends east through Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Sumatra, Singapore, and the Philippines. Inhabits foothill regions in the terai and is less commonly found in evergreen forests and tea estates.
Behavior & Ecology
Typically observed in pairs making aerial sallies from perches, with the crest held erect. Small family parties of 3 to 5 individuals are occasionally seen flying near forest edges. Display flights near the nest involve soaring and undulating movements. Breeding occurs almost year-round, with the exception of April and May in some regions. The diet consists primarily of lizards, grasshoppers, and other large insects, including agamid lizards, longicorn beetles, and mantises.
Conservation
The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, though population trends and specific threats require monitoring across its broad range.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Aviceda
- eBird Code
- jerbaz1
Subspecies (5)
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Aviceda jerdoni borneensis
Borneo
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Aviceda jerdoni celebensis
Sulawesi region, including Banggai and Sula islands (off eastern Sulawesi)
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Aviceda jerdoni ceylonensis
southwestern India and Sri Lanka
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Aviceda jerdoni jerdoni
northeastern India to Myanmar, southern China, and northern Malay Peninsula
-
Aviceda jerdoni magnirostris
Philippines
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.