Scientific name: Circus macrourus (S. G. Gmelin, 1770)
Bird group: Birds-of-prey
Field characters. Length 40-48 cm; wingspan 95-110 cm. Male with pale grey head, upperparts, tail, and wings; black of primaries forms wedge-shaped panel at end of wing visible on both surfaces. Underbody and underwing white; rump grey. Female very similar to Montagu's Harrier), but dark trailing edge to under primaries indistinct (more demarcated in Montagu's); underwing secondaries appear darker than primaries, rather diffuse and narrow pale bands on secondaries are tapering towards body (bands more obvious in Montagu's with rearmost band broader than trailing edge); underwing-coverts much less distinctly barred; head and upper breast usually more densely streaked than belly (Montagu's evenly streaked); facial pattern with clear white collar, narrow white cheek and large dark ear-covert crescent (Montagu's head paler with indistinct rusty-toned collar and larger pale area around eye, ear-covert patch more isolated) and rather plain upper wing (Montagu's has paler wings with dark bar on secondaries). Juvenile mostly unstreaked rusty below with dark secondaries and a strong facial pattern. Again very similar to Montagu's. Best character is a stronger head pattern, with a clear white collar between dark ear-covert area and dark brown neck (collar less pronounced and more rusty in Montagu's), a narrow supercilium, less white around the eye and a dark loral area (white more extended in Montagu's).
Voice. Similar to Montagu's Harrier.
Distribution. Rare summer visitor in the eastern part of the region.
Habitat. Prefers open terrains, mainly dry grasslands.
Food. Hunts by patrolling ground over definite course, catching prey after quick pounce. Feeds mainly on ground mammals and birds, but takes also insects and reptiles.
Eggs. Often uniform, sometimes spotted and blotched with red-brown markings. Ground colour bluish white. Texture smooth, not glossy. Shape subelliptical/short subelliptical. Size 45 x 35 mm (40-50 x 33-37), weight 28 g.