Shikra
Tachyspiza badia
褐耳鹰
Introduction
A small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae (formerly placed in Accipiter). Scientific name: Tachyspiza badia. Widely distributed across Asia and Africa with six recognized subspecies. Inhabits forests, farmland, and urban areas. Characterized by a sharp two-note call (pee-wee) and the flap-and-glide flight style typical of Tachyspiza and Accipiter hawks. The African populations may represent a separate species. Conservation status not provided.
Description
A small raptor measuring 26–30 cm in length with short rounded wings and a narrow, relatively long tail. Adults have whitish underparts with fine rufous bars and grey upperparts. The lower belly is less barred and the thighs are whitish. Males possess a red iris while females have yellowish-orange irises and brownish upperparts with heavier barring below; females are slightly larger. The throat has a dark but narrow mesial stripe. In flight from below, males show light wing linings with blackish wing tips. The tail shows faint banding on lateral feathers with only a dark terminal band on the central feathers. Juveniles display dark streaks and spots on the upper breast with narrowly barred wings and narrow tail bands.
Identification
The Chinese sparrowhawk is similar but has swollen bright orange ceres and yellow legs with entirely black wing tips. The Eurasian sparrowhawk shows stronger tail banding. Flight calls differ: the shikra gives a sharp 'kik-ki ... kik-ki' in flight, while the 'pee-wee' call has a higher first note and longer second note. The nominate subspecies in Sri Lanka has darker grey upperparts; T. b. cenchroides is larger and paler, found in Turkestan, Afghanistan, and eastern Iran.
Distribution & Habitat
Six subspecies span diverse regions: T. b. sphenura from Senegal and Gambia to southwest Arabia, south to north Tanzania and north DR Congo; T. b. polyzonoides from south DR Congo and south Tanzania to South Africa; T. b. cenchroides from the Caucasus to central Asia and northwest India; T. b. dussumieri in central India and Bangladesh; T. b. poliopsis from north India to south China, Indochina, and north Sumatra; and T. b. badia in southwest India and Sri Lanka. The Indian population is resident on plains and lower hills up to 1,400 m elevation in the Himalayas. T. b. cenchroides is migratory in Asia; T. b. sphenurus is migratory in West Africa; T. b. polyzonoides is nomadic in southern Africa.
Behavior & Ecology
Typically seen singly or in pairs. Diet includes rodents (including Meriones hurrianae), squirrels, small birds, small reptiles (mainly lizards, occasionally snakes), and insects. Will hunt small bats at dusk and occasionally feed on carrion or winged termites on the ground. Small birds often dive through foliage to escape, and babblers may mob individuals together. The breeding season in India runs from March to June. Nests are platform structures lined with grass, built by both sexes using twigs carried in feet. Clutch size is 3-4 eggs (pale bluish-grey with black stippling), with replacement clutches possible; incubation period is 18-21 days.
Conservation
No IUCN assessment or population data provided in the article.
Culture
Valued historically in falconry throughout India and Pakistan for its ease of training and ability to take larger birds including partridges, crows, and young peafowl. The Hindi word 'shikra' or 'shikara' means hunter; the male was called 'chipak' or 'chipka' based on its call. The name derives from Urdu 'shikara,' itself from 'shikari' meaning hunter. Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi wrote the poem 'Main Ik Shikra Yaar Banaya' comparing a lost love to the bird. The French name 'Le Chicquera' was applied to the red-necked falcon by Levaillant in 1799, though it was originally the shikra's name.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Tachyspiza
- eBird Code
- shikra1
Subspecies (6)
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Tachyspiza badia badia
southwestern India and Sri Lanka
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Tachyspiza badia cenchroides
Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan, Iran, and northwestern India
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Tachyspiza badia dussumieri
central India and Bangladesh
-
Tachyspiza badia poliopsis
northern India to southern China, Thailand, and Vietnam
-
Tachyspiza badia polyzonoides
southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Tanzania to northern South Africa
-
Tachyspiza badia sphenura
Senegambia to southwestern Arabia, northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northern Tanzania
Data Sources
CBR Notes: 由Accipiter属移入重新恢复的Tachyspiza属，学名由Accipiter badius改为Tachyspiza badia（Lerner & Mindell 2005；Mindell et al. 2018；Catanach et al.2024）。
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.