chennai state wildlife officials on friday arrested in the taramani area a 25yearold youth found carrying a shikra also known as indian sparrow hawk with the intention of selling it as a pet a court later sent the arrested man vadapalani resident p joshua to jail range officer pmurugesan said that joshua who was seen roaming in taramani holding the bird in a cage told wildlife officials that it was a common parrot but the officials checked and found it was a shikra which is covered under schedule i of the wildlife protection act of 1972 and its sale banned anyone found trying to sell a bird animal or reptile covered under this category of the act can be booked and remanded in judicial custody the wildlife officials will then release the seized animal in the wildthe sparrow hawk accipiter badius a small bird of prey with short rounded wings and a narrow long tail is a common sight in areas on the fringes of forests on farmlands and in wooded urban areas where it mainly feeds on rodents squirrels small birds and even reptiles such as lizards and snakes while indian laws have accorded the highest protection to the bird the international union for conservation of natural flora and fauna has categorised as a species whose survival causes the least concern