- Accipiter virgatus
Identification
24–36 cm (9½-14¼ in)
- Ashy blue-grey upperparts
- White below crossed barred with rusty brown
- Dark vertical throat stripe
- Short broad wings
- Long tail
Female is larger and has browner upperparts
Juvenile: dark brown upperparts
- White underparts, barred brown
- Barred tail
Distribution
South Asia from Pakistan and India to south China and Indonesia.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 11 subspecies[1]:
- A. v. affinis:
- A. v. fuscipectus:
- Mountains of Taiwan
- A. v. besra:
- A. v. abdulalii:
- A. v. nisoides:
- Myanmar, Thailand and northern Malay Peninsula
- A. v. confusus:
- Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro, Negros and Catanduanes)
- A. v. quagga:
- Philippines (Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Siquijor and Mindanao)
- A. v. rufotibialis:
- Northern Borneo
- A. v. vanbemmeli:
- A. v. virgatus:
- A. v. quinquefasciatus:
- Flores (Lesser Sundas)
Habitat
Dense montane forests; in winter open woodland (preferably with large trees) including groves, savanna and cultivated areas.
Behaviour
Breeding
They nest in trees, building a new nest each year. The clutch consists of 2-5 eggs.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of birds with the addition of dragonflies, lizards and mammals.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- AvianWeb
- BF Member observations
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Besra. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Besra
External Links
