Shikra | BANDIPUR TIGER RESERVE AND NATIONAL PARK | KARNATAKA

 

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN BY MY FATHER IN AN SAFARI AT BANDIPUR TIGER RESERVE , KARNATAKA , INDIA .

Shikra

It is a small bird of prey in the family Acciopitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is called as the little banded goshawk . It is find throughout the India .It is a raptor and is an extraordinary hunter . It swoops down on the prey and kills even poisonous snakes with the hit from the sharp beak . It then takes the prey to a perch on a tree limb to eat . In turn the Shikra is prey to larger raptors , snakes , 

The Shikra has six subspecies ranging primarily from India to Africa . They vary in size from 26-32 cm with a wingspan of 55-61 cm and weigh an average of 125g . The life expectancy is from 2.5-7 years . The female is larger than the male and has dark orange eyes , whereas the male has red eyes . They have a long barred tail that helps them with balance during hunting . The coloring is grey on head and down the back and pale reddish-orange to white underbelly with darker bars . The coloring vareies with the subspecies . Their vision is eight times more acute than the vision of humans . They have strong legs with sharp talons and a sharp hooked beak , which they use to kill prey and tear it into pieces to eat . They are diurnal , hunting only during the day . They are found in woodlands , savannas , subtropical , tropical areas and even in populated areas .