Appearance:

Slender and elegant harrier, with narrow wings and four "fingers". Adult male easily recognized by very pale grey and white plumage, with diagnostic wedge-shaped, black wing-tips (outermost primary grey). Female and immature birds often difficult to tell from Montagu's Harrier and Hen Harrier. Adult female differs from Montagu's by lack of dark band on upper wing, and by diffuse, sooty inner underwing. Pale bands do not reach wingpit, and under coverts are darker. Differs from female Hen Harrier by noticeably slimmer wings (both hand and arm) and only 4 fingers (but beware moulting Hen Harriers). Immature similar to Montagu's with unstreaked, rufous underparts. Differs in pale tips of inner primaries, and dark half-collar and pale "boa".

Sound:

Some calls similar to Montagu's and Hen Harrier, but display call quite diagnostic. A thin, vibrating trill "peerrrrrrrr".

Display 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

CC

CC-sound:Thijs Fijen, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Large and bulky Sylvia-warbler, with grey upperparts, and white to cream underparts. Adult males easily distinguished at close range, by barred underparts and yellow iris. Eye darker in females and young males. Pale, or white fringes to coverts and tertials evident in most plumages, but may be faint in young birds. Tail-corners white, and under tail-coverts always spotted. Most plumage characters difficult to see at a distance, and the general bulky and long-tailed impression of the bird, together with the white tail-corners seen in flight, are more useful for ID. Sometimes resembles more a shrike than a warbler, especially in flight.

Sound:

Varied repertoire, but mostly silent when not breeding. Contact call a rolling, dry "trrrrrrrrr-r-r-t, often with ritardando ending, of 1-2 seconds length. Also a Blackcap-like "check". Song varies among individuals and location, but is generally quite similar to Garden Warbler. Often contains mimicry of Red-backed Shrike, and other species. Phrases usually quite short, with rapid alternations between sequences of squeaky, high-pitched sounds and warbling, fluty (often disyllabic) notes. This creates a slightly bouncing rhythm, different from Garden Warbler. Sometimes includes contact call in song, which makes ID easier.

Contact call/song:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

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