Shikra

Shikras look remarkably like our kites, to whose family these birds belong. I mistook the Shikra I photographed to be a young black kite, actually. With strong talons, hooked bill and yellowish eyes, a Shikra is a miniature eagle, only more attractive and beautiful because of its smaller size. The fact that Shikras look so much like bigger falcon is probably the reason we don't pay too much attention to these birds when we sight them - many people just assume that they are looking at a younger common kite.

Like its family members, this is a bird of prey, and survives on lizards, smaller birds and animals like rats. It is not afraid to come close to human habitation either, often seen close to villages. I was fortunate to be able to take the picture here right outside my house, while it was sitting on a mango tree. Otherwise I have seen this bird on medium-height trees, scanning the ground for prey, especially in the evenings.

Wikipedia notes that this bird is found pretty much throughout South Asia, so no prizes for sighting this in Shimoga.

Scientific name for this bird is Accipiter badius.