Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks
Shikra
Tachyspiza badia
- Family
- Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks (Accipitridae)
- Order
- Accipitriformes
Overview
The shikra (Tachyspiza badia) 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 (Tachyspiza soloensis, formerly Accipiter soloensis), Eurasian goshawk (Astur gentilis) and Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). They have a sharp two-note call and exhibit the flap-and-glide flight style typical of Tachyspiza and Accipiter hawks.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Djibouti
- DR Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mongolia
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Shikra
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.

