FrednMich's Space - Gallery: Pied Harrier

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

Harriers are diurnal birds of prey which characteristically fly low over open country and grasslands with wings angled up.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

They hunt or harry small animals or birds (hence their common name). Most are in the genus Circus, the scientific name also arising from the slow circling for prey.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

There are about 13 species of harriers worldwide and all are migratory.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

Harriers belong to a uniform group having long tail feathers and elongated wings, with face feathers arranged into a disc. Some are polygynous and one male will pair with up to six females.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

When not breeding, some species are quite gregarious and roost communally on the ground.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

The adult male has an unmarked black head, mantle, black, upper breast and median coverts. A large whitish patch on lesser coverts are dianostic. In flight, black outer primaries (above and below) and the black band across upperwing-coverts contrast sharply with pale wings.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

Their main sources of food are small animals like rodents, lizards and frogs and small birds.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

In display, the male's call is "keee-veeee" or a rapid chattering "chak-chak-chak-chak", rather like the call of a magpie.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

It is similar to other harriers, silent in winter but occasionally utters a rapid "wek-wek-wek".

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

The adult male in pied dress is unmistakable, black and white with silver grey tail and secondaries. The wing appears grey in flight with a black leading edge and tip. This species is the eastern counterpart of the Montagu's Harrier, though more wedded to wet ground in the winter.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

In its breeding quarters, it prefers open steppe, meadows in river valleys, areas overgrown with scrub birch. Within these areas its habits are similar to those of other harriers of its size, flying low and quartering the ground methodically, perching occasionally on stumps, posts, or hummocks of earth.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

It is the most common of the harriers in winter from Bengal east to Thailand and beyond, but in Peninsular India is rather rare.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

In their migratory flights they travel in small parties or singly.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

They are more gregarious in autumn when accompanied by many young than in spring, when adult males and females are likely to travel separately.

Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos)

It is a winter migrant to Singapore.