Jerdon's baza

Jerdon's baza (Aviceda jerdoni) is a moderate sized brown hawk with a thin white-tipped black crest usually held erect. It is found in South-east Asia. It inhabits foothills in the terai and is rarer in evergreen forests and tea estates.

The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon.

Description

It is about 46 cm long. It is confusable with crested goshawk or the crested hawk-eagle in flight, but can be distinguished by the longer upright crest, very broad and rounded paddle-shaped wings and mostly plain and pale underparts. It has a white chin and a bold black mesial stripe.

Several subspecies are recognized within its large distribution range. These include: