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Difference between revisions of "Reunion Harrier" - BirdForum Opus

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;Circus maillardi
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;[[:Category:Circus|Circus]] maillardi
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
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The Madagascar Marsh Harrier (Circus maillardi) is a bird of prey belonging to the marsh harrier group of harriers which inhabits the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Réunion and the Comoros. It is also known as the Madagascar Harrier, Malagasy Marsh Harrier, Réunion Marsh Harrier or Réunion Harrier. There are two subspecies: C. m. maillardi on Réunion and C. m. macrosceles on Madagascar and the Comoros. Increasingly the two are classified as separate species.
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'''Male'''
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*Black head
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The male has a blackish head and back with white streaks and a white belly. The tail is grey, the rump is white and the wings are grey and black with a white leading edge. Females are dark brown with a white rump and barred tail.
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*Black mantle, upperwing coverts and outer primaries, rest of upperwing pale grey with some black spots
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*Neck and throat area white with black streaks
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*Underside white with white wing coverts and black outer primaries; rest of primaries and secondaries with two dark bars
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*The tail is grey with dark subterminal band
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*the rump is white  
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'''Female'''
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*Dark brown upperside
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*White rump with a brown wash and barred tail
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*Underwing has brownish coverts, heavily barred flight feathers and dark tipped primaries
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*Underside of body is pale with brown streaks more prominent on throat and breast
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
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Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Réunion and the Comoros
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[[Reunion Island]]
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
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This is a [[Dictionary_M-S#M|monotypic]] species<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
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[[Malagasy Harrier]] has recently been split from Reunion Harrier. Both have in the past been treated as subspecies of [[Western Marsh Harrier]].
 
==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
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In Madagascar it is found in marshland and grassland across the island except for the south. It is generally scarce with the largest numbers in the north-west. On the Comoros it is more often found in drier habitats than on Madagascar. It has occurred on all four main islands but there are no recent records from Mayotte.
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Marshland and grassland  
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On Réunion it is typically found in forested upland areas between 300 and 700 m above sea-level. It also visits cane fields and grassland.
 
 
==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
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Today its diet includes many introduced mammals (rats, mice and tenrecs) but it originally fed mainly on birds and insects. The subspecies has a number of adaptations which are unusual among harriers: broad rounded wings for hunting between trees and a short tarsus and long claws which are common among those birds of prey which feed on other birds. It breeds between January and May and lays two or three white eggs.
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====Diet====
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Diet includes rats, mice and insects.  
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====Breeding====
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2-3 white eggs are laid.
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==References==
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#{{Ref-Clements6thDec09}}#Kemp, A. C., G. M. Kirwan, D. A. Christie, and J. S. Marks (2020). Reunion Harrier (Circus maillardi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.reuhar2.01
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{{ref}}
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
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{{GSearch|Circus+maillardi}}
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Missing Images]]
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Missing Images]] [[Category:Circus]]

Latest revision as of 19:04, 21 January 2022

Circus maillardi

Identification

Male

  • Black head
  • Black mantle, upperwing coverts and outer primaries, rest of upperwing pale grey with some black spots
  • Neck and throat area white with black streaks
  • Underside white with white wing coverts and black outer primaries; rest of primaries and secondaries with two dark bars
  • The tail is grey with dark subterminal band
  • the rump is white

Female

  • Dark brown upperside
  • White rump with a brown wash and barred tail
  • Underwing has brownish coverts, heavily barred flight feathers and dark tipped primaries
  • Underside of body is pale with brown streaks more prominent on throat and breast

Distribution

Reunion Island

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Malagasy Harrier has recently been split from Reunion Harrier. Both have in the past been treated as subspecies of Western Marsh Harrier.

Habitat

Marshland and grassland

Behaviour

Diet

Diet includes rats, mice and insects.

Breeding

2-3 white eggs are laid.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. Kemp, A. C., G. M. Kirwan, D. A. Christie, and J. S. Marks (2020). Reunion Harrier (Circus maillardi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.reuhar2.01

Recommended Citation

External Links

Retrieved from ‘https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/index.php?title=Reunion_Harrier&oldid=254688’
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