Bird Guide

Cinereous Harrier vs Spotted Harrier

Cinereous Harrier (Circus cinereus)

Cinereous Harrier

Circus cinereus

Large400 gGrassland

The male's plumage is dark grey above with black wingtips and a white rump. The underparts are pale grey, with a rufous streaked belly. The female's plumage is brown above, with a white rump, and cream coloured underneath, with a streaked belly similar to the males. The female is larger than the male with an average size of 46 cm (18 in) compared to the male's 40 cm (16 in). The wingspan is 90–115 cm (35–45 in). Since the 44.5 cm (17.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada · CC BY 2.0
Spotted Harrier (Circus assimilis)

Spotted Harrier

Circus assimilis

Large559 gGrassland

The spotted harrier is a medium-sized, slender bird of prey with adult females reaching 58–61 cm. Both adults and juvenile birds have an owl-like facial ruff that creates the appearance of a short, broad head as well as long yellow legs. The spotted harrier's wings feature prominent black tips and the tail is prominently barred and slightly wedge shaped. Adult males are much smaller than the females only growing to 50–55 cm. Adult birds have blue to grey upper parts with a chestnut face and underparts that feature numerous white spots.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: finch_fanatic · CC0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Cinereous Harrier and Spotted Harrier.