HAWKS AND EAGLES(CONT...)

10.CRESTED GOSHAWK SIZE: House crows; length 40-45 cm (16-18) FIELD CHARACTERS: A short-winged or "true" hawk. Above, dark brown; forehead, crown and short nuchal crest blackish Grey. Tail with 4 visible black bars. Below, white, broadly streaked on breast and barred on rest with rich rufous-brown. A conspicuous blackish mesial streak down white throat to breast. Sexes alike: female larger. On a casual sighting confusable with Blyth's Baza. STATUS, HABITAT, ETC: Resident, duars and foothills upto 2000 m, and fairly open deciduous and semi-evergreen forest. Hunting tachis as common to all broad-winged hawks (genus Accipiter), namely pouncing from ambush in leafy tree overlooking a cleaning and stucking unsuspecting prey emerging to feed. If unsuccessful, chases the quarry with rapid wing beats close along the ground, weaving deftly in and out of tree-trunks and other obstacles in the pursuit. FOOD: Small mammals and birds as large as jungle fowl. CALL; A shrill prolonged yelp.

11.SPARROW-HAWK SIZE; House crow; length 30-35cm (12-14 inches). FIELD CHARACTERS; A medium-sized round-winged hawk. Above, slaty Grey, darkest (blackish) on head, palest (grayer) on rump. A white supercilious. Tail tipped whitish, with 4 broad black bands. Below, white to pale rufous on chin, throat and upper breast, narrowly barred with rufous-brown on rest of underparts. Sexes; nearly alike. Female larger and paler; barring on underparts less rufous more Grey-brown. STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident; breeding between 1400 and 3500 m; observed as high as 4600 m in spring and summer (Eastern Nepal): Forest and well-wooded country. Descends to the foothills and adjacent plains in winter. Typical of the genus hunts from ambush up in leafy trees. Glides along at great speed close to the ground, accelerated by spurts of rapid wing beats in pursuit of quarry. The larger female (basha) a favorite with falconers. Food; chiefly small birds. Call; tiu-tiu-tititi quickly uttered.

BESRA SPARROW HAWK: - SIZE: House crows; length 30-35 cm (12-14 inches). FIELD CHARACTERS; A medium-sized short-winged hawk. Very similar to sparrow hawk, easily confused with it. Distinguished by the broad black mesial stripe on throat (absent in sparrow hawk, narrow and Grey in shikra) and two faint moustachial streaks on either side of it. Female is larger than male. STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident, breeding between 1000 and 2000 meters, descending in winter to the foothills and duars: broken forested country-food: mainly small birds. CALL; it is unrecorded.

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