Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2026 | 18(8): 29544–29547
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10498.18.8. 29544-29547
#10498 | Received 28 February 2026 | Final received 09 June 2026| Finally
accepted 28 July 2026
Nesting of Shikra
Accipiter badius on Gliricidia
sepium (Jacq.) Kunth
(Leguminosae)
Sunil M. Gaikwad 1
& Manoj M. Lekhak
2
1 Department of Zoology, 2 Department
of Botany, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
416004, India.
1 smg_zoo@unishivaji.ac.in (corresponding
author), 2 mml_botany@unishivaji.ac.in
Editor: H. Byju,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Date of publication: 26 August 2026
(online & print)
Citation:
Gaikwad, S.M. & M.M. Lekhak (2026). Nesting of Shikra Accipiter badius on Gliricidia sepium
(Jacq.) Kunth (Leguminosae). Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(8):
29544–29547. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10498.18.8. 29544-29547
Copyright: © Gaikwad & Lekhak 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use,
reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Shivaji University, Kolhapur.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the head, Department of Zoology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur for providing laboratory facilities and Shivaji University, Kolhapur for providing financial assistance under the ‘Research Strengthening Scheme’.
Abstract: The raptor bird, Shikra Accipiter badius, generally
builds its nests on native trees and raises its young ones. In the present
communication, it is recorded for the first time that Shikra
has built a nest on the Gliricidia sepium tree and nurtured its two generations in
consecutive years. However, G. sepium is not a
suitable tree for Shikra to build its nest on because
of its low height and nests built on it may collapse even in the slightest
storm. Also, it is difficult for birds to find prey in the premises of the
trees. The selection of G. sepium for nesting
by Shikra is probably due to the unavailability of
suitable trees.
Keywords: Breeding, fledglings, generation,
legume tree, lizard, nestlings, raptor, Shivaji
University.
Many species
of birds and plants have an inseparable relationship. Birds depend on trees for
food and shelter or for both. The Shikra Accipiter
badius Gmelin, 1788 is
one of the most commonly occurring Indian raptors in the family Accipitridae. This carnivorous bird is an important
component of the food chain and feeds on rodents, squirrels, small birds, small
reptiles, and insects (Ali & Ripley 1978). These birds are very selective
about nesting sites and build nests on trees. Gliricidia
sepium (Jacq., 1842) Kunth
is a medium-sized legume tree of the Leguminosae family. It is an important
multipurpose legume tree (Batish et al. 2007),
originating from Mexico to Colombia, but is now widely known in other tropical
regions (Biddulph 1937). On perusal of the literature, it was found that the
information on the relationship of G. sepium
with Shikra is lacking. Hence, we claim that the
present report as a first from India about nesting and breeding of Shikra on G. sepium. So
far, no published record found that G. sepium
was used by any bird for nesting. In this communication, we not only document
the first report of nesting but also its breeding and successful completion of
two breeding attempts in two consecutive years. The main objective of the
present study is to highlight that due to the cutting down of large native
trees, carnivorous birds like Shikra are choosing
exotic trees for nesting as an alternative.
Material
and Methods
During the
summers of both 2020 and 2021 (February to May), observations on the nesting
and breeding of Shikra on G. sepium
tree were made on the Shivaji University,
Kolhapur campus (16.6780⁰ N, 74.2555⁰ E), India, in the morning between 0800 h
and 1100 h. Identification of the bird was confirmed by using Ali (2002) and
Grewal et al. (2016), and the plant by Yadav & Sardesai
(2002). The distance from where the nest was located down to the ground was
measured using a measuring tape. The activity of the bird was captured using a
Nikon D500 DSLR with a 200–500 mm lens.
Results
and Discussion
While
conducting a bird survey in Shivaji University,
Kolhapur campus during 2020–2021, Shikra, has
successfully reared young in two consecutive breeding seasons in a row by
building a nest on the G. sepium tree.
However, the last chick of the second generation died before it could fully
grow up due to the falling of the nest.
During the
last week of February 2020, a male and a female Shikra
gathered small twigs and tree bark pieces to construct a nest on the G. sepium tree. They selected a specific place in the G.
sepium, situated approximately 8 m above the
ground, where three long branches diverged. From the second to the third week
of March, both the male and the female took turns sitting in the nest to
incubate the eggs (Image 1A). However, the female played a primary big role in
the incubation process; as the female remained continuously seated in the nest
throughout the incubation period, the male was observed at the nest
occasionally. In the third week of April, a pure white chick was seen peeking
out from the nest, and the very next day, a second white chick appeared inside.
Both chicks were nurtured by the parents, who fed them in the mornings with
prey they had hunted and brought back to the nest (Images 1B,C).
For hunting, either the male or the female goes out, while the other partner
remains perched on a different tree located approximately 8–9 m away from the
nest to keep a watchful eye on the chicks. Meanwhile, the nestlings were
peeking out of the nest while observing their surroundings. As the chicks grew
older, they began venturing out of the nest to stand on its edge; however, at
the slightest sign of danger, they would retreat into the nest to hide and find
out the situation outside. After 12–15 days, the nestlings transformed into
‘fledglings’ (turning creamy grey and brown) (Image 1D), and typically after
15–20 days, these young birds began to fly. The period from the commencement of
nest construction to the first observed flights of the young was approximately
50 days.
Once again,
during the second week of April in the second year (2021), the female was observed
sitting in the same nest. This indicated that the female had laid eggs in the
nest for a second time and that the incubation process was underway. Since the
nest was already constructed, there was no need to gather the material
typically required for building it. Subsequently, in the last week of April,
three chicks were spotted peeking out of the nest (Image 2A), implying that the
female had laid at least three eggs on this occasion. However, the three chicks
differed noticeably in body size (Image 2B). Consequently, the chicks varied in
size, being large, medium, and small. Among these chicks, one was noticeably
smaller in size compared to the other two. Just as in the previous year, the
tasks of hunting for the chicks, feeding them, and protecting them resumed.
After 15–20 days, the two larger fledglings began to fly and started hunting
the garden lizard (Image 2C). However, the smallest chick, which was somewhat
frail, had not yet left the nest; consequently, its parents continued to hunt
for it and feed it. Meanwhile (during the second week of May), heavy rain and a
storm struck, causing a portion of the nest to fall from the tree. Following
this event, the small fledgling was nowhere to be seen in the vicinity;
however, five days later, it was found lying dead beneath the very same tree
(Image 2D). Most of its body had been consumed by some animal, leaving behind
nothing but feathers. During this study, it was not possible to directly
observe the female laying eggs; furthermore, due to the difficulty in accessing
the nest, the eggs inside could not be directly examined. Therefore, in this
study, the total number of eggs (clutch size) has been merely estimated based
on the number of chicks found in the nest.
Biddulph
(1937) reported that the pair of Indian Shikra
nested on the Banyan tree, and the same pair chose another tree for nesting in
the second year. In the third year, the same pair built the nest again on the
same Banyan tree on which the nest was built in the first year, but by choosing
a different branch. Lamba (1964) reported Shikra’s
breeding season, clutch size, incubation, young in the nest, etc. According to him, the Shikras
are very selective about the breeding locality as well as the nesting site.
They prefer a well-screened shady tree with three or more-pronged forks to
build a nest, and April and May are the breeding season in Pune, Maharashtra,
which is only 240 km away from Kolhapur. He also reports that Shikra has a normal clutch with 3–4 eggs and an incubation
period of 18 days. According to Idrisovich & Jumanov (2023), usually, the Shikra
builds a nest in a tall tree in the last week of April and the first week of
May, and the female incubates the eggs alone, while the male guards the nest
and feeds the female. In India, the breeding season of Shikra
occurs from March to June, and both sexes contribute to building the nest in
which typically lay a clutch of 3–4 eggs (Birda
species guide 2024). The observations in the present study are almost
consistent with the above workers, as the recorded breeding season of the Shikra is February and April, and the number of eggs they
lay was two in the first year and three in the second year. It was observed
that both the male and female participate in the nest building, as mentioned by
Suryavanshi (2021).
Shikra is known to
feed on a variety of insects, lizards, small birds and mammals (Muni &
Hegde 1998; Suryavanshi 2021). Upadhyay et al. (2023)
observed three chicks in a nest built by a Shikra on an Eucalyptus tree in May and reported that both the
male and female were involved in feeding them by hunting Calotes
versicolor and other small animals. This means that the period of their
nest building is almost the same as the period of nests built in our area. The males
and females we studied also hunt and bring food to the chicks, feed them and
raise them. Similarly, it was observed that the fledglings of Shikra started hunting the Garden lizard Calotes versicolor when they left the nest
and started to fly. According to Gangalmale et al.
(2026), small animals such as scorpions, lizards, and trapdoor spiders were not
found in the area where the Gliricidia
plantation was present. Lamba (1964) reported that Shikra chicks die due to two reasons, namely, starvation,
accidents, diseases and natural calamities. Similarly, it was found that one of
the three chicks fell out of the nest and died due to heavy storms and rain.
Looking at
the information and criteria of the trees selected for nest construction
mentioned above, Gliricidia selected by Shikra during the present study does not fit anywhere
except for the presence of three or more pronged forks for nest building.
Conclusion
The Shikra A. badius likely
selects the G. sepium tree for nesting and
breeding purposes primarily due to the unavailability of large native trees.
Due to rampant deforestation and the removal of native trees, birds that nest
in tall trees may face increasing difficulties in finding suitable nesting sites (Byju et al. 2023). The non-native G. sepium
tree is unsuitable for nesting by carnivorous birds like the Shikra, as nests built upon it tend to collapse even in the
face of minor natural disturbances. Furthermore, since prey is scarce in areas
dominated by G. sepium plantations, these
birds are forced to travel long distances in search of food.
For
images - - click here for full PDF
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