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:

Clearly smaller than Wood Pigeon, and lacks white wing-patches. Most susceptible to confusion with Feral Pigeon. Differs from latter in incomplete dark wing-bars, covering only inner secondary coverts. Colour of back same grey tone as neck and head. Never with white patch at lower back. Underside of wings grey, with clearly defined dark frame. Black trailing edge of tail fairly broad.

Sound:

Song a two-syllable, cooing. Much louder and more accentuated first syllable than in Feral Pigeon. First a short ascending "oooh", immediately followed by a short descending "oohh". Tone quite pure, mostly lacking the rolling quality of Feral Pigeon.

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