Australia (B), Fiji (B), French Polynesia (B), Indonesia, New Caledonia (B), New Zealand (B), Papua New Guinea (B), Tonga (B), Vanuatu (B), Wallis and Futuna Islands (B).
Southern New Guinea (breeding uncertain), Melanesia, Australia, New Zealand and Polynesia east to Tonga. Introduced to Society Is.
Nest
A bulky structure, composed of sticks, reeds, weeds and long grasses, on the ground or among long rushes growing in a swamp or in a tall crop.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 6, often 4; dull plain white to blue tinged, rounded-oval; about 50 x 38 mm. Incubation: 32 - 34 days; by female.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 42 - 46 days.
Subspecies
Has been considered a subspecies of Western Marsh-harrier (Circus aeruginosus), with which it forms superspecies, along with African Marsh-harrier (Circus ranivorus), Eastern Marsh-harrier (Circus spilonotus) and Reunion Marsh-harrier (Circus maillardi), separated by plumage. Supposedly larger subspecies gouldi of New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand shown by recent work not to differ.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet