| Papuan harrier | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Circus |
| Species: | C. spilothorax |
| Binomial name | |
| Circus spilothorax Salvadori &D'Albertis, 1875 | |
 | |
ThePapuan harrier (Circus spilothorax) is abird of prey native toNew Guinea which belongs to theharrier genusCircus. It was classified as asubspecies of theeastern marsh harrier (Circus spilonotus) of easternAsia.
It is thinly scattered across the whole of New Guinea except for theVogelkop peninsula in the west. There are several unconfirmed reports fromAustralia but the bird can easily be confused with the swamp harrier. It inhabitsgrassland andwetlands up to 3800 m above sea-level. It hunts low over open ground searching for small mammals, birds and lizards.
The adult male is usually silvery-grey with black head, throat, back and wing-markings and white underparts. Adult females are brown with a pale rump, barred tail and streaked underparts. Juveniles are blackish-brown with cream-coloured markings on the head, more extensive in the female. The length of the bird varies from 47 to 54 cm; females are larger than the males.
In the central highlands and theSepik valley there is a darkmorph; males of this form are mostly blackish with a grey tail and the females are mostly dark brown.
