Jerdon's Baza

Overview

Jerdon's baza is a moderate-sized brown hawk found throughout South-east Asia. The species is named after the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon and is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Approximately 41–48 cm long with a wingspan of 117 cm.
• Features a thin white-tipped black crest that is usually held erect.
• Displays a white chin and a bold black mesial stripe.
• Possesses very broad, rounded paddle-shaped wings and mostly plain, pale underparts.

Habitat

This species inhabits the terai of North India, the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, and is rarer in evergreen forests and tea estates. Its range extends from Eastern Nepal and the Western Ghats to Burma, Thailand, Sumatra, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Diet

The bird forages in pairs or small family parties, often seen making aerial sallies. Its diet consists of lizards, grasshoppers, and other large insects, including agamid lizards, longicorn beetles, and mantises.

Did you know?

Jerdon's baza breeds almost the entire year, with the exception of a few months around April and May.