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species, the female is considerably larger than the male. Their habitat is
extremely varied from dry open country to dense, deep forest.
Falcons and hawks form two important groups of this order. In the
falcon there is a well marked notch on the lower edge of the upper
mandible and its tarsus is short and naked, and it has more sharply pointed
wings than those of the hawk. Of the 63 species listed in India 42 are
found in Maharashtra, 19 of these being migratory.
Family Accipitridae—Hawks and Vultures: 34 species found in the
State, consist of a wide assortment of birds. The blackwinged kite (Elanus
caeruleus), the common pariah kite (Milvus migrans), and the Brahminy
Kite (Haliastur indus) are found around our villages, towns and cultivated
lands.
The shikra (Accipiter badius) is awellknown resident spccies and
Birds is found in most parts of Maharashtra. The sparrow hawk (Accipiter
nisus) is a winter migrant recorded occasionally from the Deccan and
Thana.
Eagles generally capture their prey alive while vultures feed on dead
bodies. A common resident species on the west coast of Maharashtra is the
whitebellied sea-eagle (Haliaeeius leucogaster). When viewed from below
it is snow-white except for a broad black border of the wings and tail. In
flight, it holds the wings like a flat ‘V’ and its local name ‘Kakan’ is based
on the fact that it calls ‘kak-kak-kak’ particularly during mating.
Five species of vultures have been recorded from the State and all
except Gyps fulvus are resident. The whitebacked vulture (Gyps
bengalensis) and the Egyptian or Scavenger Vulture (Neophron
percnopterus) play a valuable part as scavengers.
The pale harrier (Circus macrourus), the Montagu’s harrier (Circus
pygargus), the pied harrier (Circus melanoleucos) and the marsh harrier
(Circus aeruginosus) are common winter visitors recorded from many
districts of Maharashtra. The marsh harrier, as its name suggests, mainly
found near water.
FAUNA 553