Scientific Name: Circus melanoleucos
Malay Name: Helang-Sawah Hitam-Putih
Chinese Name: 鹊鹞
Range: Found from south-eastern Siberia, north-eastern China to Korea and winters to the Indian subcontinent, southern China and Southeast Asia
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 43-46 cm
Identification: Male is distinctive looking with all black head, breast, upper body and median coverts, large whitish patch on lesser coverts, whitish rest of underparts and black outer primaries contrasting with whitish wings in flight. Female resembles Eastern Marsh Harrier but has small whitish patch along upper edge of lesser coverts and almost unmarked whitish thighs and vent. Juvenile also resembles Eastern Marsh Harrier but has more rufous brown body and wing coverts, indistinct paler bands across blackish secondaries and darkish bars at greyish primaries.
Similar looking species: Black Baza, Eastern Marsh Harrier
Habitat: Open country, reclaimed land, grasslands and marshes.
Behaviour/Ecology:
Local Status: Rare migrant
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2021)
- RAP301: What is that raptor? (ID Articles)
- Singapore Bird Database is 1 year old (Science)
- Year in Review – 2022! (Blog)
Featured reports: Oct 2022, Nov 2022, Oct 2023, 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 (Pied Harrier)
References:
BirdLife International. (2021). Circus melanoleucos. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22695402A203542370.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.
Lim, K. S. (2009). The Avifauna of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore).
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.). Pied Harrier. Retrieved on December 7, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/pied-harrier.