Besra (Accipiter virgatus) [XC477887]
by LIN Wen-Horn from Heping District, Taichung City, Taiwan (call)
Besra (Accipiter virgatus) [XC178284]
by Aseem Khadakkar from Badgund, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India (call)
Subspecies
Has been considered to include Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), with which probably forms superspecies, perhaps also including Dwarf Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nanus).
The following 11 subspecies are recognised:
affinis Hodgson, 1836 - Northern India and Nepal east to central and southern China, and Indochina.
fuscipectus Mees, 1970 - Mountains of Taiwan.
besra Jerdon, 1839 - South-western India and Sri Lanka; probably also south-eastern India.
abdulalii Mees, 1980 - Andaman Is, and possibly Nicobar Is.
nisoides Blyth, 1847 - Burma and Thailand; possibly also Malay Peninsula.
confusus Hartert, 1910 - Luzon, Mindoro, Negros and Catanduanes (northern and eastern Philippines).