Hawks and eagles
Pallid Harrier
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Circus macrourus
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How to recognize it
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40–48 cm long
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Low flight over fields, long wings held in a shallow V
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Adult male pale grey above, nearly white below, with black wingtips
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Brown above, white rump, buff underparts streaked brown in females and similar-looking juveniles
About the species
Adult males look pale grey above and nearly white below, with darker shoulders, a white face, and black tips on their long wings. Females, and similar-looking juveniles, are brown above and buff with brown streaks underneath; the female’s white patch above the tail shows as she banks. In flight, the long wings form a shallow V as they glide low over the ground.
While hunting, they sweep over fields and moors, then drop toward small prey. During courtship the male gives a vibrating “trrr”; when alarmed, either sex gives a short, squealing trill. Nests are built on the ground.
They breed on open plains, bogs and heathland, then winter mainly in India and Southeast Asia, where they keep to open country. Their food includes small mammals, lizards, frogs and large insects such as grasshoppers and locusts.
Where to find
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During the breeding season on open plains in southern Eastern Europe and Central Asia, watch for low, gliding passes over fields as small mammals are hunted.
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On heathland in the same regions, look for low, drifting flight during a hunt.
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On open plains during courtship, listen for a male's short, vibrating trill, "tyur-r-r".
