Appearance:

Heaviest bird in area. Stocky with well developed chest. Male 50% larger than female. Mostly unmistakable, and differs from all other bustards in area in all plumages by pale, grey head (yellowish grey in female), clearly paler than the rufous upperparts and lower neck. Male with thick neck, rufous chest and long moustache feathers. Female with more slender neck and duller colours. In flight the big white wing-patch is conspicuous. Base of hand pale with smooth transition to dark tips. Secondaries black. When displaying the male raises wings and body feathers to a "foam-bath" posture with head held low, like a white ball of feathers. Flight heavy but majestic. Shy and alert bird.

Sound:

Mostly silent, especially away from breeding ground. Display call a short deep, hollow thud "omp", using resonating gular pouch. Most heard is a nasal grunt used in various types of excitement. Sometimes given in a flatulent series.

Excitement call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-photo:cruzperezmanuel, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Viskens Michel, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Paul Dirksen, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Sergey Yeliseev, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Cora de Groot en Ruud Versijde, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Elegant harrier, with slender wings and 4 "fingers". Adult male easily recognized by single black band on upperwing, and double on underwing, and by rufous under wing-coverts. Chest is considerably darker grey than in Pallid Harrier, in contrast to white lower belly. Adult female differs from Hen- and Pallid Harrier by dark upper wing-band (not as prominent as in male). Broad, pale subterminal band on underwing reaching all the way to wing pit. Under wing coverts barred. Immature birds told from Hen Harrier by rufous, almost unstreaked underparts. From Pallid Harrier by dark wing tips and no marked, dark neck sides or pale collar. Beware of moulting Hen Harriers, with 4 "fingers".

Sound:

Quite similar to Hen Harrier. Seldom heard, even at breeding ground. Sharp "ke-ke-ke-ke", and various high-pitched whistling sounds.

Call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:Marco Dragonetti, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Radovan Václav, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Radovan Václav, Licence,Link.