---
title: "Besra"
description: "Tachyspiza virgata — Ptaki. The besra (Tachyspiza virgata), also called the besra sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pl/animal/besra
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Besra

> Tachyspiza virgata — Ptaki. The besra  (Tachyspiza virgata), also called the besra sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.

- Scientific name: *Tachyspiza virgata*
- Category: `birds` (Ptaki)
- Habitats: `forest` (Las), `jungle` (Dżungla)
- iNaturalist observations: 1202
- iNaturalist taxon: [1582842](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1582842)

## Names

- en: Besra
- de: Besrasperber
- es: Gavilán besra
- fr: Épervier besra

## Countries with the most observations

TW (312), CN (164), HK (134), IN (101), TH (36), PH (27), LK (18), BT (7), NP (6), VN (6), ID (4), MM (4)

## Summary

The besra  (Tachyspiza virgata), also called the besra sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. The name "besra" is from the Hindi word for the species.
The besra is a widespread resident breeder in dense forests throughout southern Asia, ranging from the Indian subcontinent eastwards across Southeast Asia and into East Asia. It nests in trees, building a new nest each year. It lays 2 to 5 eggs. It is a medium-sized raptor (29 to 36 cm) with short broad wings and a long tail, both adaptations to fast maneuvering through dense vegetation. The normal flight…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Besra

## Photo

![Besra](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/besra/medium.jpg)

Photo: Dario Taraborelli · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/347646543

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/besra?lang=pl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).