Saturday 15 June
Shikra (Accipiter badius)

Shikra fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Shikra description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Falconiformes |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Genus | Accipiter (1) |
The shikra is considered to be the commonest small hawk of dry woodland and savanna in Africa and India (2). The adult male shikra is smaller than the female with a striking red eye, pale grey plumage above and barred chestnut feathers below. In contrast, the adult female is darker and browner, with a deep-orange eye. The immature can be identified by the black stripe on the throat, the brown, drop-like streaking on the breast, the barring on the flanks, and the yellow-brown eyes (2) (4). A noisy species, the shikra typically produces a loud, piercing “kitoukitou” call (4). There are six subspecies of shikra, which can be distinguished by size, the extent of brown colouration in the upperparts and rufous in the underparts, and by geographical location (2).
- French
- Epervier shikra.
- Size
- Length: 30 cm (2)
Shikra biology
An aggressive hunter, the shikra mainly hunts from a perch, making a short dash through the branches to snatch prey from tree trunks, foliage or the ground (2) (4). This forceful, surprise attack is usually sufficient to catch the lizards and small birds on which the shikra feeds, although on rare occasions it may engage in aerial pursuits. Other prey taken by this species include nestlings, eggs, bats, rodents, frogs and insects (2).
The shikra’s breeding season varies significantly according to location, but most commonly occurs at the end of the dry season. Populations breed between March and August in Sri Lanka; between January and June in India; January and May in west and north-east Africa, probably throughout the year in East Africa, between August and January in southern Africa, and in late May in Azerbaijan (2). Prior to nesting, the shikra is highly vocal and engages in soaring displays (2) (4). Two to four eggs are laid in a small stick nest lined with bark flakes, which is placed in the outer fork of a horizontal tree branch. Incubation lasts for around 30 to 35 days according to location, with fledging occurring around 32 days later (2).
At the end of the breeding season, shikra populations located at the northern edge of its global range make a southward migration, some heading south-west to Arabia, but most travelling to Pakistan, India and south-east Asia. In other parts of its range, this species is resident throughout the year, although some seasonal movements occur in Africa (2).
TopShikra range
The shikra has a large range, extending throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, India, and central and south-east Asia, as far as Thailand and Vietnam. This species is also found in the Arabian Peninsula, with native populations occupying Saudi Arabia and introduced populations occurring in the United Arab Emirates. The five subspecies of shikra inhabit separate parts of this range: Accipiter badius cenchroides is found in Azerbaijan, east to Kazakhstan, and Iran, east to north-west India; Accipiter badius dussumieri occupies central India and Bangladesh; Accipiter badius badius occurs in south-west India and Sri Lanka; Accipiter badius poliopsis is found in north-east India, east to southern China, and south to Thailand and Vietnam; Accipiter badius sphenurus inhabits Senegambia, east to south-west Arabia, and south to northern Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Tanzania; and Accipiter badius polyzonoides is found in southern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Tanzania, south to northern South Africa (2).
TopShikra habitat
The shikra inhabits a variety of wooded habitats, including deciduous closed-canopy woodland, savanna, small plantations of exotic trees, and urban parks and gardens (2) (4). This species can also be found in areas of arid steppe grassland (2).
TopShikra status
Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1) and listed on Appendix II of CITES (3).
TopShikra threats
With a very large global population, estimated at one million birds in 2009, and no major threats at present, there is little concern for the shikra’s survival. (2) (5). Indeed, this species is believed to be potentially capable of tolerating total deforestation within its habitat, and readily adapts to cultivated or urban areas (6).
TopShikra conservation
There are no known conservation measures in place for the shikra, it is common and widespread (1) (2).
TopFind out more
To learn more about raptor conservation visit:
- The Peregrine Fund:
www.peregrinefund.org
For more information on this and other bird species please see:
- BirdLife International:
http://www.birdlife.org
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
- Steppe
- Natural grassland with low rainfall.
- Subspecies
- A population usually restricted to a geographical area that differs from other populations of the same species, but not to the extent of being classified as a separate species.
References
- IUCN Red List (July, 2009)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. and Sargatal, J. (1994) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume Two: New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
- CITES (July, 2009)
http://www.cites.org - Grewal, B., Harvey, B. and Pfister, O. (2003) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India: and the Indian Subcontinent, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Princeton University Press, New Jersey.
- BirdLife International (July, 2009)
http://www.birdlife.org - Thiollay, J. (1993) Response of a raptor community to shrinking area and degradation of tropical rain forest in the South Western Ghats (India). Ecography, 16: 97 - 110.
More »Related species
This species is featured in:
This species is featured in Jewels of the UAE, which showcases biodiversity found in the United Arab Emirates in association with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.
Close
Image credit
© Mark Hamblin / gettyimages.com
Getty Images
101 Bayham Street
London
NW1 0AG
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 800 376 7981
sales@gettyimages.com
http://www.gettyimages.com
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.














