Papuan Harrier

Circus spilothorax Salvadori & D'Albertis, 1875

Papuan Harrier, Circus spilothorax, is a bird of prey breeding in western to south-eastern New Guinea. It is thinly spread across the island, though not on the Vogelkop peninsula, and there are unconfirmed reports from Australia. It lives in grassland and wetlands, reaching 3800 m above sea-level. It is often mistaken for the swamp harrier. Adults show marked differences between the sexes, and there is also a dark form in the central highlands and the Sepik valley. Juveniles are blackish-brown with cream markings on the head.

Order

Accipitriformes

Family

Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Breeding range

Australasia: wc to se New Guinea