Cinereous Harrier (Circus cinereus)

Identification & Behavior: ~43.5 cm (43.5 in). The adult male Cinereous Harrier is gray with a rusty barred belly. The underwing lining is white with a black tip of the wings. The female has gray mottled back and rusty bars and streaks in the rest of the body. The juvenile is similar to the female, but the back is rusty and gray. All age stages show a white area at the base of the long tail, which is readily seen when the bird is in flight. It is structurally similar to the Long-winged Harrier, but their ranges do not regularly overlap in Peru. It favors lake edges, marshes, and wet grasslands, but also inspects agricultural fields.

Status: The Cinereous Harrier occurs in the western lowlands where it is rare and the Andean highlands where it is uncommon at elevations ranging between 2700 – 4200 m. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, Bo, and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Aguilucho Cenizo

Sub-species: Cinereous Harrier (Circus cinereus), Vieillot 1816.

Meaning of Name: Circus: Gr. mythical falcon quoted by many classic authors. cinereus: L. color gray, gray.

See more of the Family Accipitridae