Elanus caeruleus
Size 33cm M/F alike
CHARACTERISTICS : A striking grey-white bird with black patched
shoulders and black line on eyes which have red pupils,- makes a close
encounter quite memorable. Juvenile has brownish-grey upperparts with pale
fringes and the shoulder patches are not so distinct. One can predictably, see them sitting perched
on electric wires and poles and leafless tree tops while driving on any highway
out of Pune. If you are visiting the forts of Maharashtra after the rains, you
will inevitably see one hovering in mid air at the edge of the cliff, black
shoulders conspicuous, and a typical stepwise descent with wings still. Quite a
sight that! It is called Kapshi in Hindi/Marathi and a variation, Kapassi in
Bangla. I have never heard its call which is a shrill squeal.
DISTRIBUTION : it is locally migratory and visible in various parts
of the subcontinent at various times of the year.
FOOD : small animals like mice and lizards and insects.
BREEDING : it breeds in the warmer part of the year. Makes nests
like crows with twigs lined with grass etc, in trees. it lays a clutch of 3-4
brown blotched yellowish eggs. The male and the female participate in raising
the young.
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