Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
The male has a predominantly brown plumage, darker in the upperparts and with reddish hues in the underparts. Head and neck are a creamy colour with dark stripes.
Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
The male has a predominantly brown plumage, darker in the upperparts and with reddish hues in the underparts. Head and neck are a creamy colour with dark stripes. Very distinctive wings, with grey secondary feathers, in contrast to the brown secondary coverts and black primary feathers. Grey tail.
The female has a chocolate brown plumage, highlighting the pale cream coloured crown, throat and shoulders. Brown tail. The juvenile has a darker plumage with chocolate coloured shades, highlighting the paler head (not as pale as the female's). Juveniles have a widely variable plumage until reaching adulthood.
During the breeding season, it is closely linked to various types of continental waters and other wetlands (tidal flats, lagoons, quagmires) but always with dense marsh vegetation, such as reedbeds, typhales, grasslands etc. In winter they may remain in these areas, but it is more common in irrigated croplands (rice and stubble fields) and water holes.