Shikra : An epitome of courage

 This bird derives its name from an Urdu/Hindi word shikari , meaning hunter. It displays brilliant hunting skills and hence justifies its name.

Shikra was a popular choice among the falconers (falconry is now banned), due to the ease with which it could be trained, and due to its daring attitude to chase the birds that are much larger in size than itself.

The very sight of a shikra leaves many creatures into a state of hustle. While some make an attempt to save themselves by hiding into thick canopies, birds like pigeons and babblers rally together to drive it away, but mostly in vain. Because a shikra dives upon its prey and takes it away, anyway.

The shikra seems to have a large fan following. The drongo imitates its call while the hawk cuckoo has evolved to resemble it in plumage, to get an exclusive access to food sources. An Indian navy helicopter base (INS SHIKRA) has been named after it, and the Singapore airforce uses shikra as an emblem for one of its squadrons. Even Shiv Kumar Batalvi (a famous Punjabi poet) was pretty impressed by it and wrote a poem titled 'मैं इक शिकरा यार बनाया' , about a lost love, in which he compares the female protagonist with a shikra who takes his heart away.

So if you ever get a chance to watch this bird in action, it will surely amaze you with its swift, strategic and calculated moves and would definitely fly away with the prey and your heart too.

Here are some details about this small-sized but high-spirited predator:

Common names: Shikra , Little banded goshawk.

Scientific name: Accipiter badius. 

Identification:

• The shikra is a small bird with short, rounded wings.
• Both males and females have whitish underside with rufous(brownish) linings.
• The upperparts in males is grey while that in females is brownish.
• The rufous linings are darker in females.
• Males have red (or dark orange) eyes while females have yellowish eyes.
• Females are slightly larger than males.

Habitat: Found in forests, farmlands and urban areas.

Food: 

• Mostly feed upon rodents, squirrels, small birds, small reptiles and insects.
• Also noted to attack upon larger birds like bats,etc.

Behaviour:

• It hunts from a perch hidden within vegetation.
• It performs aerial persuits and its attacks are powerful. 
• In courtship behaviour, the male offers food to female.
• They become very noisy during breeding season.
• Their flight pattern is two or three swift flaps and glide.
• Both parents participate in nest building.
• Mostly the male brings the food.
• They can be aggressive while defending the nest.

Nest: 

• Their nest is a loose arrangement of twigs, lined with grass and roots.
• The nesting trees are big trees like neem, mango, etc.

Threats:

• The biggest threat to them is consumption of poisoned rodents thrown in open. The poison in carcass kills the bird too.

Our role in conservation:

• Their trade for falconry is now banned in India.
• Raising awareness about their importance in keeping a check on numbers of rodents, lizards , pests,etc.

IUCN Status: Least concern. 

Photograph by : Yamini Dashora.