Circus melanoleucos
The Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos) is a striking medium-sized raptor belonging to the hawk and eagle family, Accipitridae. Adult males are unmistakably bold, showcasing a brilliant black head, back, and wingtips contrasted sharply with a pristine white collar and underparts, while females are more subdued with brown upperparts, a streaky rufous chest, and dark brown streaking on white underparts. With a length typically ranging from 41-53 cm, a wingspan of 110-140 cm, and weighing 320-500...
This species primarily inhabits open grasslands, marshes, cultivated fields, and reedbeds. They are typically found in lowland plains, though they can ascend to modest elevations during migration.
Their diet consists mainly of small mammals like voles and mice, small birds, large insects, frogs, and lizards. They typically forage by quartering low over open ground, dropping suddenly on unsuspecting prey.
Pied Harriers are diurnal hunters, often observed quartering methodically over open ground with their characteristic buoyant, low-altitude flight, wings held in a shallow 'V'. Outside the breeding season, they frequently gather in communal roosts, often in dense reedbeds or tall vegetation, offer...
The Pied Harrier has a vast but fragmented breeding range spanning across temperate East and Central Asia. They breed in southern Siberia, northeastern China, Mongolia, and parts of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. As a long-distance migrant, they undertake significant journeys south for the winter, wi...
Least Concern
- The male Pied Harrier is one of the most boldly patterned raptors in Asia, making it unmistakable among other harriers. - They are known for their distinctive, buoyant flight, often described as 'tilting' or 'rocking' as they quarter over their hunting grounds. - Despite their widespread distri...