Skip to main content
Collections

Photographs

< Back

Shikra (male) [Accipiter badius]

Flora & Fauna

The Shikra is a small hawk which feeds on rodents, squirrels, small birds, snakes and reptiles such as lizards. According to Salim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley’s ‘Compact Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan’ (second edition), the bird uses surprise tactics in hunting by “pouncing on unsuspecting quarry from its ambush up in a leafy tree. Sometimes stampedes small birds out of a thicket, selecting one from the flock, chasing it with speed and determination till struck.” It feeds on a variety of food: “All living animals of manageable size recorded”.

Collection:
Nature Collection
Photograph ID:
001/0387/0019
Album ID:
Photographers:
Kumaran and Ramila Sathasivam are keen naturalists and photographers. Their photographs have appeared in a number of publications, including Blackbuck, the journal of the Madras Naturalists&#39; Society. Kumaran Sathasivam is a 1980s&#39; IIT Madras alumnus. His book A Forest in the City is about his natural history experiences during his student days.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS PICTURE