Pallid Harrier
Circus macrourus
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Circus macrourus
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Mass
~380 g
Habitat
Grasslands and meadows
Diet
Small vertebrates
How to recognize it
Pallid Harrier looks light and airy, with long wings and a low, gliding flight that seems to skim just above the ground. The whole impression is of a sleek hunter moving with quiet ease.
It is usually silent, but in display the male gives a short, quivering trill. When alarmed, both sexes answer with a brief, sharp chatter.
It favours open plains, bogs and heathland, where it can drift low in search of prey. Small mammals and other small animals are its main food, and it spends the winter mostly in India and southeast Asia.
Quick Facts
Pallid Harrier looks light and airy, with long wings and a low, gliding flight that seems to skim just above the ground. The whole impression is of a sleek hunter moving with quiet ease.
It is usually silent, but in display the male gives a short, quivering trill. When alarmed, both sexes answer with a brief, sharp chatter.
It favours open plains, bogs and heathland, where it can drift low in search of prey. Small mammals and other small animals are its main food, and it spends the winter mostly in India and southeast Asia.
How to recognize it
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Circus macrourus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Pallid harrier Encyclopedia article