Scientific Name: Circus spilonotus
Malay Name: Helang-Sawah Biasa
Chinese Name: 白腹鹞
Range: Found from eastern Siberia, north-eastern China to northern Japan and winters to the Indian subcontinent, southern China, southern Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 48-56 cm
Identification: Male resembles Pied Harrier but has black streaks on neck and breast and lacks large white patches on upperwing-coverts. Female resembles Pied Harrier but has dull rufous belly and thigh. Juvenile also resembles Pied Harrier but has darker brown body and pale head.
Similar looking species: Pied Harrier
Habitat: Open country, reclaimed land, grasslands and marshes.
Behaviour/Ecology: Usually flies low over open country with short flaps interspersed by long glides.
Local Status: Uncommon migrant
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2021)
Location: Recent sightings were at Changi reclaimed land, Tanah Merah grassland, Kranji Marsh and Henderson Waves Bridge.
- Bird List Revision for May 2019 (Revisions)
- RAP301: What is that raptor? (ID Articles)
- Singapore Birds Project Raptor Watch at Henderson Waves (Blog)
Featured reports: Oct 2022, Nov 2022, Dec 2023, Jan 2024, Feb 2024, Oct 2024
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Eastern Marsh Harrier)
References:
BirdLife International. (2021). Circus spilonotus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T61709141A203625947.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Eastern Marsh Harrier. Retrieved on December 5, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/eastern-marsh-harrier.