Pallid Harrier

The pallid harrier is a medium-sized harrier, 40–48cm long with a wingspan of 95–120cm; males weigh about 315g and the slightly larger females about 445g. Like other harriers it flies low with long wings held in a shallow V, and the sexes differ. The male is whitish-grey above and white below with narrow black wing-tips, smaller, narrower-winged and paler than a hen harrier. The female is brown above with white upper tail coverts, a so-called ringtail, and buff below streaked brown; she is very like a female Montagu's harrier but has a paler belly and a sharper face pattern (Wikipedia, general species account).

It hunts mostly small mammals and birds, surprising them as it drifts low over fields, and also takes large insects such as grasshoppers and locusts, lizards and frogs. It nests on the ground and lays three to six eggs (Wikipedia, general species account).