Eastern Marsh-Harrier (Circus spilonotus)

Other Names (World)
Eastern Marsh-Harrier, Spotted Marsh-Harrier, Spotted-backed Harrier, Papuan Harrier, Eastern Marsh Harrier

Family
Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles)

Size
48 - 56 cm
Wingspan: 115 - 145 cm

First Described (Guide)
Kaup, 1847

Habitat
Marshes, swamps, lake edges, paddyfields, grasslands, pastures. From sea-level - 1,100 m.

Range (Guide)

Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (mainland) (B), Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia (B), Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia (B), Myanmar, North Korea, Papua New Guinea (B), Philippines, Russia (Asian) (B), Singapore, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Vietnam.

Vagrant to Northern Mariana Islands.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Flies low over grasslands and paddyfields.

Food
Small invertebrates, fish, large insects.

Voice
A loud, short 'kiiioo', uttered during the breeding season. Otherwise usually silent.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (4)...)

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus) [XC491989]
by Bo Shunqi \u8584\u987a\u5947 from Sumiin Khoolo\u00ef, Khalkhgol, Dornod, Mongolia (alarm call)

Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus) [XC840873]
by Jarmo Pirhonen from Hengsha Island, Shanghai, Chongming, China (call, flight call)

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Western Marsh-Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), African Marsh-harrier (Circus ranivorus), Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans) and Reunion Marsh-harrier (Circus maillardi). Often considered a subspecies of Western Marsh-Harrier (Circus aeruginosus).

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

spilonotus Kaup, 1847 - Eastern and south-eastern Asia.
spilothorax Salvadori & D'Albertis, 1875 - New Guinea. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Papuan Harrier (Circus spilothorax).

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Eastern Marsh-Harrier (Circus spilonotus) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Eastern Marsh-Harrier see... Show Articles

BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Articles about the Eastern Marsh-Harrier

If you would like to read any articles about the Eastern Marsh-Harrier...

Show Articles (0)

No Pictures of Eastern Marsh-Harrier

If Birdpedia has no pictures of Eastern Marsh-Harrier or you would like to see more, then try the following...

Show External Images from BING

From BING (10)

No Videos of Eastern Marsh-Harrier

If Birdpedia has no videos of Eastern Marsh-Harrier or you would like to see more, then try the following..

Show External Videos

From BING (0)

Where can I observe this species?

Select an area (or leave blank) to see locations where this species has been recorded.

Area

All

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.

Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or	GPS help

Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or	Find GPS using Google Maps

Distance	Bearing
		Get Sample GPS readings

On What Field Trips was this species observed?

Select an area (or leave blank), and a date range, to see field trips on which this species has been recorded.

Area

All

From	To

Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or	GPS help

Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or

Distance	Bearing
		Get Sample GPS readings

Latest Sightings for Eastern Marsh-Harrier