Bangalore: We were surprised to find this bird perched atop our budgerigar cage one Sunday afternoon. This is bird of prey, a Shikra. It was looking intently at our pet budgerigars. I bet it was relishing the thought of grabbing one of the budgies and having it for lunch. Thankfully, our cage has very narrow gaps so the Shikra couldn't attack the budgies with its sharp claws or beak. It was patiently waiting on the top of the cage to see if there was anyway it could get at the budgies. We managed to click a photo of it before it flew off to perch on a tree opposite the balcony.
We did not want to take any chances with the budgies' safety so we put our clothes dryer in front of the cage. Hopefully, the metal structure will keep the budgies safe from the preying eyes of the Shikra.
We checked in the The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali. The Shikra that paid us a visit was a female. The female Shikra is brownish with a black barred tail. The male is blue grey and white barred brown below. Its habitat is Subcontinent, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nicobars, according to the book.
It was nice to get a photo of the Shikra, but I don't want it preying on my pet budgies. So, Ms. Shikra please don't come again.
