shikra

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.{{ cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1788 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 1 | language=Latin | location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=280 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2896880 }} 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.{{ cite book | last=Brown | first=Peter | author-link=Peter Brown (naturalist) | date=1776 | title=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 | trans-title=New illustrations of zoology, containing fifty coloured plates of new, curious, and non-descript birds, with a few quadrupeds, reptiles and insects | location=London | publisher=Imprimé pour B. White | page=6; Plate 3 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27845735 }} 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.{{Cite journal | last1=Catanach | first1=T.A. | last2=Halley | first2=M.R. | last3=Pirro | first3=S. | date=2024 | title=Enigmas no longer: using ultraconserved elements to place several unusual hawk taxa and address the non-monophyly of the genus Accipiter (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) | journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume=144 | issue=2 | pages=blae028 | doi=10.1093/biolinnean/blae028}}{{Cite book | last1=Mindell | first1=D. | last2=Fuchs | first2=J. | last3=Johnson | first3=J. | date=2018 | chapter=Phylogeny, taxonomy, and geographic diversity of diurnal raptors: Falconiformes, Accipitriformes, and Cathartiformes | editor1-last=Sarasola | editor1-first=J.H. | editor2-last=Grange | editor2-first=J.M. | editor3-last=Negro | editor3-first=J.J. | title=Birds of Prey: Biology and conservation in the XXI century | location=Cham, Switzerland | publisher=Springer | isbn=978-3-319-73744-7 | pages=3–32 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326086278 }} 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.{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=August 2024 | title=Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/raptors/| publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=21 August 2024 }} The word Tachyspiza combines the Ancient Greek ταχυς (takhus) meaning "fast" with σπιζιας (spizias) meaning "hawk".{{ cite web | last=Jobling | first=James A. | title=Tachyspiza | work=The Key to Scientific Names | url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/key-to-scientific-names/search?q=Tachyspiza | publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | access-date=21 August 2024 }} The specific epithet badia is Latin meaning "chestnut-coloured" or "brown".{{ cite web | last=Jobling | first=James A. | title=badius | work=The Key to Scientific Names | url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/key-to-scientific-names/search?q=badius | publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | access-date=21 August 2024 }}

Six subspecies are recognised:

• T. b. sphenura (Rüppell, 1836) – Senegal and Gambia to southwest Arabia south to north Tanzania and north DR Congo
• T. b. polyzonoides (Smith, A, 1838) – south DR Congo and south Tanzania to South Africa
• T. b. cenchroides (Severtsov, 1873) – Caucasus to central Asia and northwest India
• T. b. dussumieri (Temminck, 1824) – central India and Bangladesh
• T. b. poliopsis (Hume, 1874) – north India to south China, Indochina and north Sumatra
• T. b. badia (Gmelin, JF, 1788) – southwest India and Sri Lanka

File:Shikra (Female) at Hodal- I2-Haryana IMG 7970.jpg, 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.{{cite journal| author= Mees, GF |year= 1981| title=The Sparrow-Hawks (Accipiter) of the Andaman Islands.| journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=77| issue=3| pages= 371–412|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/44708303}} 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. 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.{{cite book|author1=Rasmussen PC |author2=Anderton, JC |name-list-style=amp | year=2005| title=Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volume 2|isbn=8487334660|page=97|publisher= Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions}}{{cite book| year= 1895|author=Blanford WT|title= The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume 3|pages=398–400| publisher= Taylor and Francis|place=London|url=https://archive.org/stream/birdsindia03oaterich#page/397/mode/1up}}

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{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/ibis47brit#page/290/mode/2up|author=Gurney JH| pages=290–291| title=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club. No 50 (January 30th, 1898)|journal=Ibis|year=1859|volume =4 (seventh series)|doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1898.tb05529.x}} and that on Katchal Island, obsoletus are now treated as a sub-species within a full species, the Nicobar sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza butleri).{{cite book|author1=Ali S|author2=Ripley|name-list-style=amp |author3=S D | year=1978| title=Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 1|edition=2nd | pages=234–239| publisher=Oxford University Press|place= New Delhi| isbn= 0-19-565506-0}} 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.{{cite journal|title= A partial post-juvenile molt and transitional plumage in the shikra (Accipiter badius) and Grey Frog Hawk (Accipiter soloensis) | journal= Journal of Raptor Research| volume=34| issue=4| pages=249–261|year=2000|author1=Herremans M |author2=Louette, M |name-list-style=amp | url= http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/jrr/v034n04/p00249-p00261.pdf}}

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{{cite journal|pages=140–141|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|year=1996| volume=96| title=Strange death of a shikra|author=Kankane, PL|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48582811}}), squirrels, small birds, small reptiles (mainly lizards but sometimes small snakes{{cite journal|page=298 |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|year=2002| volume=99|issue=2| title=Attempted feeding by a shikra Accipiter badius family Accipitridae, on buffstriped keelback Amphiesma stolata, family Colubridae|author=Jha, Samiran|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48604196}}) and insects. 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.{{cite journal|author = Osmaston, BB |year=1923| title= The Shikra Astur badius| journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.| volume= 29| issue=2| pages=560–561|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47865097}} They will descend to the ground to feast on emerging winged termites,{{cite journal| author= Himmatsinhji MK| author-link= Himmatsinhji M. K.| year=1986| title= Peculiar feeding behaviour of the Shikra Accipiter badius (Gmelin) and the Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus (Temminck)| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume= 83| issue=4|pages=201–202|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48772391}} hunt at dusk for small bats{{cite journal|last1=Mikula|first1=P.|last2=Morelli|first2=F.|last3=Lučan|first3=R. K.|last4=Jones|first4=D. N.|last5=Tryjanowski|first5=P.|year=2016|title=Bats as prey of diurnal birds: a global perspective|journal=Mammal Review|volume=46|issue=3|pages=160–174|doi=10.1111/mam.12060|bibcode=2016MamRv..46..160M }} (such as Cynopterus sphinx{{cite journal|author1=Muni, Manoj |author2=Hegde, Vithoba |year=1998| title= Indian Shikra preying on Short-nosed Fruit Bats| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=95| issue=2 |pages=338–339|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48604880}}{{cite journal|pages=106–107 |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|year=2001| volume=98|issue=1| title=More information on shikra Accipiter badius (Gmelin) feeding on shortnosed fruit bats Cynopterus sphinx Vahl. |author=Zarri, AA|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48583315}}) and in rare instances they may even resort to feed on carrion.{{cite journal|author= Naoroji, Rishad |year=1991| title=Shikra Accipiter badius taking carrion| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.| volume=88| issue=3| pages= 447–448 |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48673883}} In one instance a male was found feeding on a dead chick at the nest.{{cite journal|pages=140–141|journal=Forktail|year=2010| volume=26| title=Cronism by the Shikra Accipiter badius|author1=Kittur, S |author2=Gopi Sundar, K S |name-list-style=amp }} 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.{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW15#page/n27/mode/1up |pages=4–5|title=Behaviour-pattern mimicry by a Goldfronted Chloropsis, and some thoughts on it|author=Serrao JS| year=1975| volume= 15| issue=3|journal=Newsletter for Birdwatchers }}{{cite journal|author=Flower, Tom | title= Fork-tailed drongos use deceptive mimicked alarm calls to steal food| journal= Proc. R. Soc. B |year=2010| doi=10.1098/rspb.2010.1932|volume=278|issue=1711|pages=1548–1555|pmid=21047861|pmc=3081750}}

File:Accipiter badius MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.94.1.jpg]]

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.{{cite journal|author= Phillips, WWA |year=1933 | title= Some observations on the nesting of a pair of Ceylon Shikra Hawks (Astur badius badius Gmelin)| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume = 36| issue= 2| pages= 509–511}} Like crows, they may also make use of metal wires.{{cite journal|year=1944| journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society|author=Lowther, EHN | title=Volume 45 |volume=45| issue=1|pages=5–16}} 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{{Cite journal|author = Biddulph, CH | year=1937| title= Number of eggs laid by the Indian Shikra [Astur badius dussumieri (Temm. & Lang.)]| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. | volume =39| issue= 2| page=406|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47602154}}) which are pale bluish grey stippled on the broad end in black. The incubation period is 18 to 21 days.

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.{{cite book|pages=380–382|author=Whistler, Hugh|title=Popular Handbook of Indian Birds|edition=4th|publisher=Gurney & Jackson|year=1949| url=https://archive.org/stream/popularhandbooko033226mbp#page/n315/mode/1up/}}{{cite book|pages=48–50|url= https://archive.org/stream/birdsofindiabein01jerd#page/48/mode/1up| title =The birds of India. Volume 1|author=Jerdon, TC| year=1862| publisher=Military Orphan Press|place=Calcutta}} The word shikra or shikara means hunter in the Hindi language (the male was called chipak or chipka based on call{{cite book|author=Blyth, Edward| title= Catalogue of the Birds in the Museum Asiatic Society|year=1849|publisher=Asiatic Society, Calcutta| page=23|url=https://archive.org/stream/catalogueofbirds00asia#page/22/mode/1up}}) The word Shikra is borrowed from the Urdu word (شِـكْـره) which is derived from the word shikari (شِكارى) meaning hunter.Al-Haj Ibrahim, Hassan, Birds of prey (Manuscript in Arabic

The word is also used in the French name Le Chicquera which was however given to the red-necked falcon by Levaillant in 1799.{{cite book|pages=29–30 |url=http://www.e-corpus.org/notices/101063/gallery/694613|author=Radcliffe, E Delme|title=Notes on the falconidae used in India in falconry| publisher=Mills and Son, Southsea|year=1871}}{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/cyclopaediaofind02balfuoft#page/26/mode/1up/|page=26|title=The Cyclopaedia of India|edition=3rd| volume=2|author=Balfour, EG|year=1885|publisher=Bernard Quaritch|place=London}}{{cite book|author=Jobling, James|year=2010 |page=100|title=The Helm Dictionary of scientific bird names|publisher=Christopher Helm|place=London|isbn=978-1408125014|url=http://nature.baikal.ru/files/605/1408125013.pdf}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amarujala.com/kavya/irshaad/shiv-kumar-batalvi-main-ik-shikra-yaar-banaya|title = माए नी माए मैं इक शिकरा यार बणाया - शिव कुमार बटालवी}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.electrostani.com/2010/08/how-to-gender-hawk-shikkra-look-at-shiv.html|title = How to Gender a Hawk ("Shikkra"): A look at a Shiv Kumar Batalvi poem}}

Shikra bird, Pune.jpg|Shikra bird, Pune

ShikraPune.jpg|Male at Pune (Maharashtra), India

Shikra - Male.jpg|Male at Chandigarh, India

Shikra - juvenile.jpg|Juvenile at Chandigarh, India

Shikra 3.jpg|Female with a kill

Shikra flight.jpg|In flight

Shikra Bangalore.jpg|At Bangalore, India

Shikra from our balcony 01.jpg|Bangalore, India

Shikra Juv.jpg|Shikra in Gurgaon,India

Shikra Juvenile.jpg|Shikra in Gurgaon,India

Shikra (Accipiter badius) with a Garden Lizard W2 IMG 8979.jpg|Immature feeding on Calotes versicolor

Shikra in Chandigarh.jpg|In Chandigarh

{{Reflist}}

• (Shikra = ) Little banded goshawk – [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/159.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds]
• [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/shikra-accipiter-badius photographs and videos]

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Category:Tachyspiza

Category:True hawks

Category:Birds of Central Asia

Category:Birds of South Asia

Category:Birds of Southeast Asia

Category:Birds of West Asia

Category:Birds of prey of Sub-Saharan Africa

Category:Birds described in 1788

Category:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin