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The shikra is a small raptor (26–30 cm (10–12 in) 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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Shikra
The shikra 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, Eurasian goshawk and Eurasian sparrowhawk. 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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Red-thighed SparrowhawkTachyspiza erythropusA very small, dove-sized sparrowhawk with a distinctive tail pattern.
Slaty-mantled GoshawkTachyspiza luteoschistaceaThe slaty-mantled goshawk, also known as the slaty-mantled sparrowhawk or slaty-backed sparrowhawk, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
Moluccan GoshawkTachyspiza henicogrammaThey are a mid-sized raptors with short, rounded wingtips, relatively long tails, a heavy bill, and long legs but short and rather weak toes.
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