| Pallid harrier | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Circus |
| Species: | C. macrourus
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| Binomial name | |
| Circus macrourus (S. G. Gmelin, 1770)
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| Range of C. macrourus Breeding Passage Non-breeding
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The pallid harrier (Circus macrourus) is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier subfamily. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek. Circus is from kirkos (circle), referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight ('probably the hen harrier), and macrourus is "long-tailed", from makros (long) and -ouros (-tailed).[2]
It breeds in southern parts of eastern Europe and central Asia and Iran and winters mainly in India and southeast Asia. It is a rare but increasing vagrant to Great Britain and western Europe. In 2017 a pair of pallid harriers nested in a barley field in the Netherlands; they raised four chicks, the first recording breeding of the species in the country.[3] In 2019, a pair bred in Spain for the first time.[4]
This medium-sized raptor breeds on open plains, bogs and heathland. In winter it is a bird of open country.
- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Circus macrourus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22695396A132304131. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 109, 236. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ "The Pallid Harrier, a new breeding species for the Netherlands". Nature Today. Grauwe Kiekendief - Kenniscentrum Akkervogels. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Pallid Harrier breeds in Spain for first time". BirdGuides. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2022.