Showing posts with label Harriers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harriers. Show all posts

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Pied Harrier/ගෝමර බිම් උකුස්සා/ගෝමර හැරිකුස්සා (Circus melanoleucos)


A very rare winter migrant to open scrubland, grasslands, marshes, and paddy fields across the country, mainly in the dry lowlands. It typically glides slowly just a few feet above the ground over marshes, paddy fields, and other open habitats, feeding on frogs, rodents, lizards, small birds, snakes, grasshoppers, and similar prey. It often perches on the ground and roosts at night in open fields and marshes, sometimes loosely associating with other harriers of the same or different species. The Pied Harrier breeds in the tundra regions of eastern Asia.


Thursday, February 5, 2026

Western Marsh Harrier/වගුරු බිම් උකුස්සා/වගුරු හැරිකුස්සා (Circus aeruginosus)

An uncommon winter migrant to marshes, grasslands, and paddy fields throughout the country, mainly in the lowlands. It is usually encountered as a solitary bird and feeds on frogs, water snakes, fish, and water birds such as teals and waterhens, as well as small mammals and insects including grasshoppers. It hunts with a slow, sailing flight close to the ground. Like other harriers, it often perches on the ground and probably roosts there at night, though it also frequently perches in trees.  The Western Marsh Harrier breeds in Europe and Asia, north of the Himalayas.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Pallied Harrier (Circus macrourus)

An uncommon winter visitor to the marshes, paddy fields, Patana lands and open areas throughout the island. However It is more frequent in dry lowlands.  It is also an occasional loiter of the island and according to the Henry probably the commonest harrier that visit Sri Lanka which arrives August to November and spread all over the island, hills and low country alike (Henry G.M., 1988). Its food consists of lizards  grasshoppers  frogs and small birds etc. Above picture is of a juvenile bird and adult males have pale grey upper parts and females are brownish.