Jerdon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni
Etymology:
- Aviceda : Latin word avis- bird; caedere –to kill { Killer Bird}
- Jerdoni: named after Scottish ornithologist Surgeon-Maj.Thomas Claverhill Jerdon (1811–1872)
Vernacular Names: Ta: Parundu, Mal: Prapparundu, Sinh: Kurulla goya
Sub species:
- Nominate – North East India
- j. ceylonensis – South West India (in South Western Ghats and North Eastern Ghats) { smaller (wing 297–312 mm), with paler upperparts and breast, less barring below and narrower tailbands}
Distribution in India:
- Nominate – North East India
- A.j. ceylonensis – South West India (in South Western Ghats and North Eastern Ghats)
Description: Size of 41–48 cm; 353 g; wingspan 109–117 cm. It is a sluggish-looking brownish kite with long crest on pigeon-like head; dark crest feathers have white tip; flies with soft wingbeats of paddle-shaped wings. The female is like male in size and plumage, but lacks grey on head and upperparts, has yellower-buff bars below and more broken throat-stripe. Iris is golden-yellow to yellow-red, cere is bluish- to blackish grey, and legs are yellow. The juvenile is like female, with brown iris and paler whitish-yellow legs, but head is darker, and breast streaked. It has one additional, narrower tailband, achieves adult plumage in second year. Races generally differ mainly in size and intensity of coloration.
The race ceylonensis is smaller (wing 297–312 mm), with paler upperparts and breast, less barring below and narrower tailbands.
Habitat: It is found in moist deciduous and lowland dipterocarp to evergreen tropical forest, forest edge and clearings. It is found from sea-level and up to 1850 m.
Food habits: It eats large insects like orthopterans, cicadas, beetles and their larvae, small mammals, frogs and small snakes. It hunts from concealed perch, making short sallies to ground or adjacent foliage when prey sighted. Reports of crepuscular activity not verified.
Breeding habits: They breed in Apr–Aug in NE India; Feb–Jun in SW India. Their mutual display flights comprise of soaring and undulating manoeuvres. The nest is a small, compact, shallow made up of twigs and lines with green leaves usually in crotch or in crown of large tree. The nest is constructed mainly by male, but both sexes. They exhibit spectacular display flights over nest area in forest like mutual soaring and rollercoaster undulating flights, accompanied by vocalizations. They lay a clutch of 2–3 eggs. The incubation period is 32–35 days, principally by female. The fledging period is 42 days. The juveniles are dependent on parents for some time after fledging.