Shikra

Shikra
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Tachyspiza badia

Malay Name: Helang-Sewah Pudar

Chinese Name: 褐耳鹰

Range: Resident in Africa, central Asia and Indochina. Small numbers migrate south in winter.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: sphenura, polyzonoides, cenchroides, dussumieri, poliopsis, badia.

Size: 30-36 cm

Identification: Adult male distinct with red iris, strong orange barrings on underparts, greyish upperparts with black wing tips. Female similar, with slightly browner uppersides and yellow iris. Juveniles has brownish upperparts, with tear drop shaped underparts. As with all Accipiters the shape of the bird in flight is very useful in identification. Shikras show five "fingers", a proportionally longer tail compared to all other local Accipiters (except Eurasian Sparrowhawk, which has six "finger" instead).

Similar looking species: Crested Goshawk, Chinese Sparrowhawk, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Besra, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Grey-faced Buzzard

Habitat: Woodland.

Behaviour/Ecology:

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2021 Accipiter badius)

Featured reports: Oct 2022, Nov 2023

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Shikra Tachyspiza badia
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Peak weeks Oct 22-Oct 28, Nov 19-Nov 25
Early date 27 Oct 2022
Late date 21 Nov 2019
A very common raptor further north, migrating through Thailand in the thousands, but very few confirmed records in Singapore.
Shikra at Khao Dinsor, Thailand. Photo credit: Goh Cheng Teng
Shikra at Khao Dinsor, Thailand. Photo credit: Goh Cheng Teng

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Shikra)

References:

BirdLife International 2021. Accipiter badius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.. Accessed on 1 January 2023

DeCandido, R., Nualsri, C., Siponen, M., Sutasha, K., Pierce, A., Murray. J. & Round, P. D. (2014) Flight identification and plumage descriptions of six Accipiter species on southbound migration at Khao Dinsor, Chumphon province, Thailand. BirdingASIA, 21, 52-62.

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Shikra. Retrieved on May 12, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/shikra.

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