Shikra ( Accipiter badius, family: Accipitridae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Little Banded Goshawk
The Shikra (Latin name Accipiter badius) is described in Roberts Birds
of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number
of 159 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 514
also a picture of the Shikra on page 433. The Shikra belongs to the
family of birds classified as Accipitridae.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Shikra was called the Little Banded Goshawk.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps.
The Shikra is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident.
In terms of distribution of the Shikra in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Shikra : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Shikra is a bird about the same size as a starling. The height of the Shikra is about 30 cms and its weight is about 125 gms.
You will find that the male Shikra plumage and colours are different to that of the female Shikra.
- Head is grey.
- Eye is red.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is grey.
- Back is grey.
- Legs are yellow.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Shikra feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly:
Reptiles.
Other Birds.
Invertebrates.
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Shikra is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Accipiter badius will seek out a new mate.
The nesting habit of Shikra is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 1 to 4.
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Shikra are: woodlands.
You will normally see the Shikra by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Gebande Sperwer
German ... Schikra
Portuguese ... Gavio-chicra
French ... Pervier Shikra
Dutch ... Shikra
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 159
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newman's Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
