What to Know About Shikra in Uganda?

The Shikra in Uganda is one of the Uganda Birds seen during Uganda birding safaris & Tours. The shikra is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is also called the little banded goshawk.

The Shikra is a small goshawk, measuring 25 to 45 cm in length and weighing 100 to 200 grams.

How Does the About Shikra in Uganda Look Like?

The female shikra is larger than the male and weighs 130 to 260 grams. The wingspan is 50 to 70 cm. The shikra has short rounded wings and a narrow and long tail.

The underside is white with fine rufous bars. The upper parts are grey. The lower belly has fewer bars and the thighs are white.

The wingtips are black and the central tail feathers have a dark terminal band. The male shikra have red iris and females have yellow-orange iris.

The female shikra have brownish upper parts and the heavier barring on the underparts.

How Does the About Shikra in Uganda Sing and Make Calls?

Their call is a ‘pee-wee’ and sharper ‘kik-ki … kik-ki’ sound.

How Does the About Shikra in Uganda Nest?

The nest is a platform similar to that of crows lined with grass. Both sexes build the nest, twigs being carried in their feet. Like crows, they may also make use of metal wires.

How Does the About Shikra in Uganda Feed?

The Shikra species feed on reptiles, small mammals, small birds, frogs and insects. They feed on rodents, squirrels, small birds, small reptiles (mainly lizards but sometimes small snakes) and insects.

Small birds usually dive through foliage to avoid a shikra and a Small Blue Kingfisher has been observed diving into water to escape.

Babblers have been observed to rally together to drive away a shikra. They will descend to the ground to feast on emerging winged termites, hunt at dusk for small bats and in rare instances they may even resort to feed on carrion.

How Does the About Shikra in Uganda Breed?

]They are usually seen singly or in pairs. The flight is typical with flaps and glides. During the breeding season pairs will soar on thermals and stoop at each other. Their flight usually draws alarms among smaller birds and squirrels.

How Does the About Shikra in Uganda reproduce?

The usual clutch is 3 to 4 eggs (when eggs are removed they lay replacements. They could lay as many as 7 in a season) which are pale bluish grey stippled on the broad end in black. The incubation period is 18 to 21 days.