Shikra (Tachyspiza badia)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Shikra

Tachyspiza badia (Gmelin, JF, 1788)

This hawk occurs from South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa, mainly inhabiting open woodland, scrub and grassland.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Thailand, Sri Lanka

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Thailand, Sri Lanka

Shikra has been recorded at 1,192 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 64 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. GKVK CampusIndia3,591 records
  2. Private estate near Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates2,105 records
  3. Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia2,024 records
More places
  1. Doddanekundi KereIndia1,556 records
  2. Rabindra SarovarIndia1,508 records
  3. Valley SchoolIndia1,480 records
  4. Vetal Tekdi/HillIndia1,441 records
  5. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural HistoryIndia1,412 records
  6. Saul Kere / Sowl KereIndia1,391 records
  7. Sultanpur National ParkIndia1,276 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaThailandSri LankaUnited Arab EmiratesCambodiaNepalGambiaGhana

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions

Where does the Shikra live?

Its breeding range: Africa, Oriental: widespread, also southern Palearctic. It is most often recorded in India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

When is the best time to see the Shikra?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).

What family is the Shikra in?

It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.

Range

Africa, Oriental: widespread, also southern Palearctic

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1
  • Tachyspiza badia poliopsis n India to s China, Indochina and n Sumatra

Classification

Family
Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
Genus
Tachyspiza

Other birds in the genus Tachyspiza

Red-thighed SparrowhawkRed-thighed SparrowhawkTachyspiza erythropusLittle SparrowhawkLittle SparrowhawkTachyspiza minullaBesraBesraTachyspiza virgataDwarf SparrowhawkDwarf SparrowhawkTachyspiza nanusRufous-necked SparrowhawkRufous-necked SparrowhawkTachyspiza erythrauchenCollared SparrowhawkCollared SparrowhawkTachyspiza cirrocephalaNew Britain SparrowhawkNew Britain SparrowhawkTachyspiza brachyuraVinous-breasted SparrowhawkVinous-breasted SparrowhawkTachyspiza rhodogasterJapanese SparrowhawkJapanese SparrowhawkTachyspiza gularisLevant SparrowhawkLevant SparrowhawkTachyspiza brevipesNicobar SparrowhawkNicobar SparrowhawkTachyspiza butleriChinese SparrowhawkChinese SparrowhawkTachyspiza soloensis
Shikra

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ravi Vaidyanathan. ↗

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