Shikra

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Shikra
Shikra1.jpg
Adult female (dussumieri)
Calls
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Tachyspiza
Species:
T. badia
Binomial name
Tachyspiza badia
(Gmelin, JF, 1788)
Subspecies
  • cenchroides (Severtzov, 1873)
  • dussumieri (Temminck, 1824)
  • badia (Gmelin, 1788)
  • poliopsis (Hume, 1874)
  • sphenura (Rüppell, 1836)
  • polyzonoides (A. Smith, 1838)
AccipiterBadiusIUCNver2018 2.png
Range of A. badius
  Breeding
  Resident
  Non-breeding
Synonyms

Astur badius
Scelospizias badius
Micronisus badius

The shikra (Tachyspiza badia) is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usually been considered as subspecies of the shikra. The shikra is very similar in appearance, as well as behavior, at least to some degree, to other species including the Chinese sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza soloensis, formerly Accipiter soloensis), Eurasian goshawk (Astur gentilis) and Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). They have a sharp two-note call and exhibit the flap-and-glide flight style typical of Tachyspiza and Accipiter hawks. Their calls are imitated by drongos and the common hawk-cuckoo resembles it in plumage. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter .

Contents

Taxonomy

The shikra was formally described in 1788/1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae . He placed it with the eagles, hawks and their relatives in the genus Falco and coined the binomial name Falco badius. [2] Gmelin's description was based on the "brown hawk" from Ceylon that had been described and illustrated in 1776 by the English naturalist Peter Brown. [3] The shikra was formerly placed in the large and diverse genus Accipiter . In 2024 a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study of the Accipitridae confirmed earlier work that had shown that the genus was polyphyletic. [4] [5] To resolve the non-monophyly, Accipiter was divided into six genera. The genus Tachyspiza was resurrected to accommodate the shikra together with 26 other species that had previously been placed in Accipiter. The resurrected genus had been introduced in 1844 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup. [6] The word Tachyspiza combines the Ancient Greek ταχυς (takhus) meaning "fast" with σπιζιας (spizias) meaning "hawk". [7] The specific epithet badia is Latin meaning "chestnut-coloured" or "brown". [8]

Six subspecies are recognised: [6]

Description

Female (Hodal, India) Shikra (Female) at Hodal- I2-Haryana IMG 7970.jpg
Female (Hodal, India)

The shikra is a small raptor (26–30 cm long) and, like most other Tachyspiza hawks, has short rounded wings and a narrow and somewhat long tail. Adults are whitish on the underside with fine rufous bars while the upperparts are grey. The lower belly is less barred and the thighs are whitish. Males have a red iris while the females have a less red (yellowish orange) iris and brownish upperparts apart from heavier barring on the underparts. The females are slightly larger. The mesial stripe on the throat is dark but narrow. In flight the male seen from below shows a light wing lining (underwing coverts) and has blackish wing tips. When seen from above the tail bands are faintly marked on the lateral tail feathers and not as strongly marked as in the Eurasian sparrowhawk. The central tail feathers are unbanded and only have a dark terminal band. [9] Juveniles have dark streaks and spots on the upper breast and the wing is narrowly barred while the tail has dark but narrow bands. A post juvenile transitional plumage is found with very strong barring on the contour feathers of the underside. [10] The call is pee-wee, the first note being higher and the second being longer. In flight the calls are shorter and sharper kik-ki ... kik-ki. The Chinese sparrowhawk is somewhat similar in appearance but has swollen bright orange ceres and yellow legs with the wing tips entirely black. [11] [12]

Subspecies cenchroides is larger and paler and found in Turkestan, Afghanistan and eastern Iran. The Indian population dussumieri is resident on the plains and lower hills (up to 1400 m in the Himalayas). The nominate form is found in Sri Lanka and has somewhat darker grey upperparts. The Burmese shikra A. b. poliopsis may represent a distinct species. The population on the island of Car Nicobar, earlier treated as a subspecies butleri [13] and that on Katchal Island, obsoletus are now treated as a sub-species within a full species, the Nicobar sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza butleri). [11] [14] The west African population T. b. sphenurus is migratory while the southern African T. b. polyzonoides is more nomadic in its movements. In Asia only T. b. cenchroides is migratory. [10]

Behaviour and ecology

The shikra is found in a range of habitats including forests, farmland and urban areas. They are usually seen singly or in pairs. The flight is typical with flaps and glides. During the breeding season pairs will soar on thermals and stoop at each other. Their flight usually draws alarms among smaller birds and squirrels. They feed on rodents (including Meriones hurrianae [15] ), squirrels, small birds, small reptiles (mainly lizards but sometimes small snakes [16] ) and insects. [14] Small birds usually dive through foliage to avoid a shikra and a Small Blue Kingfisher has been observed diving into water to escape. Babblers have been observed to rally together to drive away a shikra. [17] They will descend to the ground to feast on emerging winged termites, [18] hunt at dusk for small bats [19] (such as Cynopterus sphinx [20] [21] ) and in rare instances they may even resort to feed on carrion. [22] In one instance a male was found feeding on a dead chick at the nest. [23] Their calls are mimicked by drongos and this behaviour is thought to aid in stealing food by alarming other birds that the drongos associate with. [24] [25]

Breeding

Eggs - Museum de Toulouse Accipiter badius MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.94.1.jpg
Eggs - Muséum de Toulouse

The breeding season in India is in summer from March to June. The nest is a platform similar to that of crows lined with grass. Both sexes help build the nest, twigs being carried in their feet. [26] Like crows, they may also make use of metal wires. [27] The usual clutch is 3 to 4 eggs (when eggs are removed they lay replacements and one observer noted that they could lay as many as 7 in a season [28] ) which are pale bluish grey stippled on the broad end in black. The incubation period is 18 to 21 days. [14]

In culture

The shikra was a favourite among falconers in India and Pakistan due to the ease with which it could be trained and was frequently used to procure food for the more prized falcons. They were noted for their pluck and ability to take much larger birds including partridges, crows and even young peafowl. [14] [29] [30] The word shikra or shikara means hunter in the Hindi language (the male was called chipak or chipka based on call [31] ) The word Shikra is borrowed from the Urdu word (شِـكْـره) which is derived from the word shikari (شِكارى) meaning hunter. [32]

The word is also used in the French name Le Chicquera which was however given to the red-necked falcon by Levaillant in 1799. [33] [34] [35]

Famous Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi wrote a poem called "Main Ik Shikra Yaar Banaya" about a lost love wherein he compares her to a shikra. [36] [37]

Related Research Articles

<i>Accipiter</i> Genus of birds

Accipiter is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Most species are called sparrowhawks, but there are many sparrowhawks in other genera too, such as Tachyspiza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Besra</span> Species of bird

The besra, also called the besra sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. The name "besra" is from the Hindi word for the species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black eagle</span> Species of bird

The black eagle is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and is the only member of the genus Ictinaetus. They soar over forests in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical South and Southeast Asia, as well as southeastern China. They hunt mammals and birds, particularly at their nests. They are easily identified by their widely splayed and long primary "fingers", the characteristic silhouette, slow flight and yellow ceres and legs that contrast with their dark feathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black drongo</span> Species of bird

The black drongo is a small Asian passerine bird of the drongo family Dicruridae. It is a common resident breeder in much of tropical southern Asia from southwest Iran through Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to southern China and Indonesia and accidental visitor of Japan. It is an all black bird with a distinctive forked tail and measures 28 cm (11 in) in length. It feeds on insects, and is common in open agricultural areas and light forest throughout its range, perching conspicuously on a bare perch or along power or telephone lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levant sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The Levant sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey. It measures 32–38 cm (13–15 in) in length with a wingspan of 65–75 cm (26–30 in). The female is larger than the male, but the difference is not as marked as with Eurasian sparrowhawk. The adult male is blue-grey above, with dark wingtips, and barred reddish below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-eyed buzzard</span> Species of bird

The white-eyed buzzard is a medium-sized hawk, distinct from the true buzzards in the genus Buteo, found in South Asia. Adults have a rufous tail, a distinctive white iris, and a white throat bearing a dark mesial stripe bordered. The head is brown and the median coverts of the upper wing are pale. They lack the typical carpal patches on the underside of the wings seen in true buzzards, but the entire wing lining appears dark in contrast to the flight feathers. They sit upright on perches for prolonged periods and soar on thermals in search of insect and small vertebrate prey. They are vociferous in the breeding season, and several birds may be heard calling as they soar together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances's sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

Frances's sparrowhawk is a small bird of prey. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. The nominate subspecies, T. f. francesiae, is endemic to Madagascar, and the other subspecies are found in the Comoro Islands. The Anjouan sparrowhawk, also known as the Anjouan Island sparrowhawk, Ndzuwani goshawk or Joanna Island goshawk, was thought to be extinct until searches in the 1980s and in 2005 confirmed that it is still extant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The Chinese sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza soloensis) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The Japanese sparrowhawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. The bird is known by many alternative names such as the Japanese lesser, Asiatic, or Eastern sparrowhawk. This species is a small raptor with broader and rounder wings and a shorter tail. Its total length measures 23–30 centimetres (9.1–11.8 in). It has a dark back and whitish underside with brown-grey barring and red-brown colouring on the sides in males, and with heavier brown barring on the abdomen in females. Both sexes have a stripe across the throat, but its more obvious in the female. Is it typically identified by its appearance, but occasionally produces a chattering kiki-kik-kik... sound. This species generally breeds in parts of Russia, Korea, Japan, and China. There are three subspecies of Japanese sparrowhawk that differ by distribution and appearance. The species is globally listed as least concern, although it is listed as endangered in Japan and protected in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collared sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The collared sparrowhawk is a small, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia, New Guinea and nearby smaller islands. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. As its name implies the collared sparrowhawk is a specialist in hunting small birds. It is characterised by its slight brow ridges and slender feet. The last segment of their middle toe projects beyond the claws of the other toes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown goshawk</span> Species of bird

The brown goshawk is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey goshawk</span> Species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae

The grey goshawk is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is found in eastern and northern Australia. The white morph of this species is known as the white goshawk. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicolored hawk</span> Species of bird

The bicolored hawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in forest, woodland, second growth, plantations, and wooded savanna in southeastern Mexico, Central America, and northern and central South America. Though generally uncommon, it is the most common species of Astur in most of its range, but it does not occur at altitudes above 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) such as the highest parts of the Andes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-thighed sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The red-thighed sparrowhawk, alternatively known as the red-legged sparrowhawk or western little sparrowhawk, is a species of sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae from western and northern central Africa. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-mantled goshawk</span> Species of bird

The black-mantled goshawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in the highlands of New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The little sparrowhawk is a species of Afrotropical bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It is the smallest member of the genus Tachyspiza and forms a superspecies with the red-thighed sparrowhawk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinous-breasted sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The vinous-breasted sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Himmatsinhji M. K. was a noted ornithologist, politician and scion of the erstwhile Jadeja ruling family of Kutch, who was member of 3rd Lok Sabha from Kutch.

Rishad Naoroji is an Indian billionaire, environmentalist, businessperson, author, and one of the members of the Godrej family.

<i>Tachyspiza</i> Genus of birds

Tachyspiza is a genus containing goshawks and sparrowhawk in the family Accipitridae. The species were formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2019). "Accipiter badius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T22695490A155445348. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695490A155445348.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1788). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 280.
  3. ↑ Brown, Peter (1776). Nouvelles illustrations de zoologie : contenant cinquante planches enlumineés d'oiseaux curieux, et qui non etés jamais descrits, et quelques de quadrupedes, de reptiles et d'insectes, avec de courtes descriptions systematiques [New illustrations of zoology, containing fifty coloured plates of new, curious, and non-descript birds, with a few quadrupeds, reptiles and insects]. London: Imprimé pour B. White. p. 6; Plate 3.
  4. ↑ Catanach, T.A.; Halley, M.R.; Pirro, S. (2024). "Enigmas no longer: using ultraconserved elements to place several unusual hawk taxa and address the non-monophyly of the genus Accipiter (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society: blae028. doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blae028.
  5. ↑ Mindell, D.; Fuchs, J.; Johnson, J. (2018). "Phylogeny, taxonomy, and geographic diversity of diurnal raptors: Falconiformes, Accipitriformes, and Cathartiformes". In Sarasola, J.H.; Grange, J.M.; Negro, J.J. (eds.). Birds of Prey: Biology and conservation in the XXI century. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. pp. 3–32. ISBN   978-3-319-73744-7.
  6. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  7. ↑ Jobling, James A. "Tachyspiza". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  8. ↑ Jobling, James A. "badius". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  9. ↑ Mees, GF (1981). "The Sparrow-Hawks (Accipiter) of the Andaman Islands". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 77 (3): 371–412.
  10. 1 2 Herremans M & Louette, M (2000). "A partial post-juvenile molt and transitional plumage in the shikra (Accipiter badius) and Grey Frog Hawk (Accipiter soloensis)" (PDF). Journal of Raptor Research. 34 (4): 249–261.
  11. 1 2 Rasmussen PC & Anderton, JC (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. p. 97. ISBN   8487334660.
  12. ↑ Blanford WT (1895). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume 3. London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 398–400.
  13. ↑ Gurney JH (1859). "Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club. No 50 (January 30th, 1898)". Ibis. 4 (seventh series): 290–291. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1898.tb05529.x.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Ali S; Ripley & S D (1978). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 1 (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 234–239. ISBN   0-19-565506-0.
  15. ↑ Kankane, PL (1996). "Strange death of a shikra". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 96: 140–141.
  16. ↑ Jha, Samiran (2002). "Attempted feeding by a shikra Accipiter badius family Accipitridae, on buffstriped keelback Amphiesma stolata, family Colubridae". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 99 (2): 298.
  17. ↑ Osmaston, BB (1923). "The Shikra Astur badius". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 29 (2): 560–561.
  18. ↑ Himmatsinhji MK (1986). "Peculiar feeding behaviour of the Shikra Accipiter badius (Gmelin) and the Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus (Temminck)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 83 (4): 201–202.
  19. ↑ Mikula, P.; Morelli, F.; Lučan, R. K.; Jones, D. N.; Tryjanowski, P. (2016). "Bats as prey of diurnal birds: a global perspective". Mammal Review. 46 (3): 160–174. doi:10.1111/mam.12060.
  20. ↑ Muni, Manoj; Hegde, Vithoba (1998). "Indian Shikra preying on Short-nosed Fruit Bats". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 95 (2): 338–339.
  21. ↑ Zarri, AA (2001). "More information on shikra Accipiter badius (Gmelin) feeding on shortnosed fruit bats Cynopterus sphinx Vahl". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 98 (1): 106–107.
  22. ↑ Naoroji, Rishad (1991). "Shikra Accipiter badius taking carrion". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 88 (3): 447–448.
  23. ↑ Kittur, S & Gopi Sundar, K S (2010). "Cronism by the Shikra Accipiter badius". Forktail. 26: 140–141.
  24. ↑ Serrao JS (1975). "Behaviour-pattern mimicry by a Goldfronted Chloropsis, and some thoughts on it". Newsletter for Birdwatchers . 15 (3): 4–5.
  25. ↑ Flower, Tom (2010). "Fork-tailed drongos use deceptive mimicked alarm calls to steal food". Proc. R. Soc. B. 278 (1711): 1548–1555. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.1932. PMC   3081750 . PMID   21047861.
  26. ↑ Phillips, WWA (1933). "Some observations on the nesting of a pair of Ceylon Shikra Hawks (Astur badius badius Gmelin)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 36 (2): 509–511.
  27. ↑ Lowther, EHN (1944). "Volume 45". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 45 (1): 5–16.
  28. ↑ Biddulph, CH (1937). "Number of eggs laid by the Indian Shikra [Astur badius dussumieri (Temm. & Lang.)]". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 39 (2): 406.
  29. ↑ Whistler, Hugh (1949). Popular Handbook of Indian Birds (4th ed.). Gurney & Jackson. pp. 380–382.
  30. ↑ Jerdon, TC (1862). The birds of India. Volume 1. Calcutta: Military Orphan Press. pp. 48–50.
  31. ↑ Blyth, Edward (1849). Catalogue of the Birds in the Museum Asiatic Society. Asiatic Society, Calcutta. p. 23.
  32. ↑ Al-Haj Ibrahim, Hassan, Birds of prey (Manuscript in Arabic
  33. ↑ Radcliffe, E Delme (1871). Notes on the falconidae used in India in falconry. Mills and Son, Southsea. pp. 29–30.
  34. ↑ Balfour, EG (1885). The Cyclopaedia of India. Vol. 2 (3rd ed.). London: Bernard Quaritch. p. 26.
  35. ↑ Jobling, James (2010). The Helm Dictionary of scientific bird names (PDF). London: Christopher Helm. p. 100. ISBN   978-1408125014.
  36. ↑ "माए नी माए मैं इक शिकरा यार बणाया - शिव कुमार बटालवी".
  37. ↑ "How to Gender a Hawk ("Shikkra"): A look at a Shiv Kumar Batalvi poem".
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