Pied Harrier

Circus melanoleucos (Pennant, 1769)

Pied Harrier, Circus melanoleucos, is a bird of prey that breeds in the Palearctic and spends the non-breeding season in the Oriental Region, from India to the Philippines and Borneo. It was first described by Pennant in 1769. It is a migratory Asian species that uses open country, with northern breeding sites in steppe and boggy birch scrub, and southern wintering areas in paddy fields and swamps. It is usually solitary, though it may gather loosely at roosts, feeding places and during migration. The male is marked in black and white, which gives the bird its name.

Order

Accipitriformes

Family

Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Breeding range

Palearctic: se Siberia, Korean Pen. and ne China

Nonbreeding range

Oriental Region: India to Philippines and Borneo