Sunday, 10 March 2019

Shikra (Tachyspiza badius)

OTHER NAMES: Little Banded Goshawk
Latin Etymology: Tachyspiza ("fast hawk") badius ("chestnut coloured")
Adult male Shikra (subspecies T. b. poliopsis) at Bayon, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Tachyspiza badius poliopsis
Weight: 130g  /  Length: 26-30cm  /  Wingspan: 48-68cm
NO UK STATUS IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Shikra is a very widely distributed raptor of the tropics - it is found across a vast range through much of Sub-Saharan Africa, all of India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.  It's name originates in Hindi, meaning "hunter", but variations can be found in a wide variety of languages including Urdu, Turkish and Arabic.  This was a species seen in abundance over Bayon at Angkor Thom, where individuals hunted over the canopy, presumably for the abundant dragonflies.  We did however see another other central Siem Reap.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Tachyspiza
SUBSPECIES: T. b. cenchroides, T. b. dussumieri, T. b. badius, T. b. poliopsis, T. b. sphenurus, T. b. polyzonoides

 - Sighting Locations -
CAMBODIA - Khmer - ស្ទាំងស្លាបឆែក  ("Check wings")
A fairly common resident
 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen at Angkor Thom and Siem Reap

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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