The shikra is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usually been considered as subspecies of the shikra. The shikra is very similar in appearance, as well as behavior, at least to some degree, to other species including the Chinese sparrowhawk, Eurasian goshawk and Eurasian sparrowhawk. They have a sharp two-note call and exhibit the flap-and-glide flight style typical of Tachyspiza and Accipiter hawks. Their calls are imitated by drongos and the common hawk-cuckoo resembles it in plumage. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.
Region
Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Shikras occupy open and semi-open habitats including dry and moist woodland, savanna, scrub, cultivated areas, and urban greenspaces. They favor edges and mosaics where trees or tall shrubs provide perches overlooking open ground. Riparian corridors and avenues of trees in cities are frequently used for hunting. While common at low elevations, they also occur in foothills and lower montane zones where suitable cover and prey are available.
Altitude Range
0–2500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The shikra, also called the little banded goshawk, is a small, agile raptor widely distributed across Asia and much of Africa. It readily adapts to human-dominated landscapes, hunting in gardens, parks, and farmlands as well as natural woodland. Its sharp, two-note call is famously mimicked by drongos, and the common hawk-cuckoo resembles it in plumage. Shikras hunt with rapid dashes from perches using a flap-and-glide flight style.
Female (Hodal, India)
Eggs - Muséum de Toulouse
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
flap-and-glide with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically seen alone or in pairs, maintaining territories year-round in many areas. Breeding pairs build small stick nests high in trees, often in avenues or woodland edges, laying 2–4 eggs. Courtship includes display flights and vocal duets. Both parents defend the nest and provision the young.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A sharp, two-note call repeated in series, often rendered as ‘kew-kew’. Calls intensify during breeding and territorial interactions. Local drongos commonly mimic its call to stir alarm among other birds.
Plumage
Adult male shows bluish-grey upperparts with fine rufous barring across clean whitish underparts; female is browner-grey with coarser brown barring. Juveniles are browner above with streaked underparts and less distinct barring. Tail is banded; throat is pale with a dark central streak.
Diet
Primarily hunts small birds, lizards, and small mammals, with large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles also taken. It uses a perch-and-pounce strategy, launching rapid, low-level chases through cover. Prey is seized on the ground, from foliage, or in brief aerial pursuits. Opportunistic and adaptable, it exploits abundant urban prey like house sparrows and garden lizards.
Preferred Environment
Hunts along woodland edges, hedgerows, gardens, and tree-lined streets where cover allows stealthy approaches. Frequently uses telephone poles or exposed branches as vantage perches. Near watercourses, it works riparian trees and adjacent open spaces.
