The Birds of Prey are a large family composed of birds that bear such strong family likeness that it is almost impossible to describe them in such a way as to enable the reader to identify them at sight. As with owls, birds of prey are easily recognized as such, but to name any species baffles even professed ornithologists.
To try to make out the raptors by their color is, to use the words of Eha, “at the best, a short road to despair. Naturalists learn to recognize them as David’s watchman recognizes the courier who brought tidings of victory over Absalom. ‘His running is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.’
Every bird of prey has its own character, some trick of flight, something in its figure and proportions that serves to distinguish it decisively.” precisely something that is not, in most cases, able to be stated. Mr. C. H. Donald, or some other Indian falconer, will give us a little handbook on the birds of prey of this country.
The Indian Tawny Eagle (Aquila vindhiana)
In coloring, this bird is very similar to the common kite but has a shorter tail. Its legs are feathered right down to the toe. This is the sign manual of all the true eagles. A bird that looks like a kite with feathered legs is probably a tawny eagle, the commonest eagle in India and abundant everywhere except on the Malabar coast. The big tawny eagle belongs to the family Accipitridae.
It is 25 to 30 inches in length with a 64 to 75-inch wingspan. The eagle mainly relies on carrion as a food source. Although it is considered a quiet bird, sometimes the Kow-Kow noise is loud and far-traveling. The underparts are mainly black; however, the lower back is pale, and there are a range of variations in plumage color.
The white-eyed buzzard (Butastur teesa)
This bird of prey is about the size of the common house crow. Eha writes A buzzard’s idea of life is to sit upon a pole or on top of a small tree commanding a good expanse of grassland and to watch for a field mouse, a lizard, or even a fat grasshopper.
If you see a biggish, untidy hawk of a sandy brown color, more or less dashed with whitish, spending the morning in this way, you may put it down as Butastur teesa. The sign manual of this common bird is its white eye, and if you cannot get near enough to make this out with the aid of field glasses,.
You can still identify this species by the conspicuous white patch on the nape of the neck. The white-eyed buzzard is very common in North India but rare in the south. This bird has a rufous tail, white iris, and white throat with a distinctive dark mesial stripe bordered by a brown head.
Pallas’s fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus)
This Pallas Fish Eagle is nearly half as big as the kite. A large brown bird with a whitish forehead, chin, and throat and a broad white band (4 inches wide) across the tail, about three inches from the tip,. This is the sign manual of this species, and on this account, Jerdon calls it “The Ring-tailed Fish Eagle.” Not found in South India.
All the fish-eagles writes C. H. Donald in The Indian Field has loud, resonant calls that are anything but melodious, and they all seem to love hearing their own voices. H. leucoryphus in the plains of Punjab may often be heard long before he is seen, particularly when soaring, and though he himself may only appear as a wee speck in the heavens, his call will be distinctly heard.
This Bird of Prey frequents rivers and marshes and is an inland rather than seashore bird. This bird is also known as Pallas’s sea eagle or band-tailed fish eagle. The Pallas eagle’s preferred food is fish. During food collection, it often faces predation from graylag geese.
The White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaëtus leucogaster)
White-bellied sea-eagle bird is a little larger than a kite. Its head, neck, lower parts, and nearly the whole of the tail are white; other parts are dark grey or brown. Jerdon calls this species the Grey-backed Sea Eagle. This species is rarely encountered inland and can be identified by its white lower portions rather than brown upper parts. It is very rarely encountered inland.
Col. Cunningham describes this species as one of the most splendid of large raptorial birds. Owing to the brilliant contrast of the snowy whiteness of the head and undersurface with the deep ashy tints of the wings and back,. There are few more striking objects than one of them as he sits on a bare branch overhanging a tidal channel, glancing around with his bold black eyes.
The Birds of Prey eagle, with all his beautiful plumage, gleamed in the bright sunlight. This is a very noisy species, especially during the breeding season. This beautiful bird normally breeds and hunts near water. It prefers fish as food but also consumes carrion and other varieties of animals.
The white-tailed eagle (Haliaëtus albicilla)
The white-tailed sea eagle is half the size of a big kite. A large brown bird with a white tail, of which the middle feathers are considerably longer than the outer ones. By this character and by its loud cries, may this bird be identified. It is only a winter visitor to India in the Punjab, Sindh, and U.P. Sometimes, it is known as the gray sea eagle or the Eurasian sea eagle.
Due to human activities, this bird is often scarce and very spottily distributed as a nesting species. This eagle usually lives near open water, including both coastal saltwater areas and inland freshwater. It requires a plentiful food supply, old-growth trees, or ample sea cliffs for nesting.
The Brahminy Kite. (Haliastur indus)
Of all the birds of prey, this is perhaps the easiest to identify in its adult state. The head, neck, breast, and upper abdomen are white, with the shaft of each white feather being black. The remainder of the plumage is a rich chestnut, almost maroon.
The young birds of prey are alike to the common kite in appearance. But it may be distinguished when on the wing by the fact that the tail of the Brahminy is always rounded, while that of the kite is more or less forked. This species is rare in Punjab but common everywhere else. In Madras, it sometimes swoops down and carries off a snipe that has been shot by a sportsman. Its cry is a peculiar, squeaking wail.
The Black Kite (Milvus govinda)
This is a common pariah kite. His long tail, slightly forked at the tip, suffices to distinguish him at a glance from all other raptorial birds. It is believed to be the most abundant species in the world, with approximately more than 6 million.
The pale or pallid harrier (Circus macrourus)
This is a migratory bird belonging to the harrier family. This medium-sized raptor is rarely seen in India. It breeds on the open plains and bogs of eastern Asia and southern Europe. The bird normally hunts small mammals, lizards, and birds and drifts low over fields and moors.
Surprisingly, the nest is found on the ground, containing six to eight eggs. The other harrier species are, Montagu’s Harrier (Circus cineraceus), The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus), The Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucus), and The Marsh Harrier (Circus æruginosus).
The hens are so alike that distinguishing them is no easy matter. The ordinary man will doubtless be satisfied to call them all harriers. Harriers are cold-weather visitors to India. They are striking-looking birds with long wings.
Also, they fly low, only a few inches above the level of the ground, ever on the lookout for a lizard, a mouse, an insect, or even a small bird. They are larger than crows and smaller than kites. Moreover, they hunt over fields and marshes and are not seen in towns, but those who shoot must be familiar with them.
The Shikra (Astur badius)
Shikra is one of the most familiar birds of prey. It is considerably smaller than the common house crow. Its upper plumage is ashy grey. The tail is of the same hue, but with broad black crossbars. The breast is a pale rust color with a number of thin, wavy white crossbars.
The eye is bright yellow, as is the cere, or base, of the beak. It is very much like the brain-fever bird in appearance. It often hunts for its quarry in the neighborhood of trees. Its method is to make a short, quick dash. Natives of India very frequently train this bird to hawk quail and mynas. Its note is a sharp double whistle.
The Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter nisus)
This species, which is a cold-weather visitor to India, is very similar to No. 158 in habits and appearance. It is, however, characterized by having long legs. It is bolder and swifter in its movements.
The Laggard Falcon (Falco jugger)
Several species of falcons occur in India. This one is the commonest. It is a brownish bird barred and spotted all over with white. It looks like a large sparrow hawk with long, pointed wings.
But it does not make one dash at its prey after the manner of the sparrowhawk; it is a strong flier and settles down to a long chase in the open country. Its eyes are dark. Natives call falcons dark-eyed hawks and sparrow-hawks light-eyed hawks.
The Turumti, or Red-headed Merlin (Æsalon chicquera)
The head and a stripe on the cheek are chestnuts. Back and tail grey barred with dark brown; underparts whitish with black streaks and bars. This species lives largely on small birds and often hunts in pairs.
Tinnunculus alaudaris: The Kestrel; the English “Windhover.”
Normally, these Birds of Prey’s head, neck, and tail are grey, and the back and wings are brick-red. The lower parts are cream-colored and spotted with brown. The redback makes the bird easy to identify, as does its method of hunting its quarry.
It flies over the open country, and every now and then it hovers on rapidly vibrating wings over some spot where it thinks it espies some lizard or other animal. If there is an animal there, it drops quietly on it; otherwise, it passes on and hovers elsewhere. It is a winter visitor to the plains of India.
Also Read: Lilac Breasted Roller, Most Attractive Bird / Indian Roller Bird
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