Eastern Marsh Harrier

A common patroller above reedbeds, flying with wings raised in a shallow V-shape. Adult males are predominantly pale gray with a dark-speckled head, blackish back with pale-edged feathers, and black wingtips. Adult females are brown and streaky and lack the bold white rump patch of the similar female Hen Harrier. Juveniles are brown with paler heads and breasts. Extremely similar to Western Marsh-Harrier, but range overlap is minimal.

In Sri Lanka, the Eastern Marsh Harrier is most commonly found in wetland areas like marshes, paddy fields, lagoons, and large water bodies with extensive reedbeds, where they can hunt for prey like rodents, frogs, small birds, and fish; particularly along the coastal regions and in the lowland areas of the country.

In Sri Lanka, the Eastern Marsh Harrier primarily feeds on small mammals like mice, lizards, small birds, and occasionally frogs, often hunting in open grasslands and marshes, particularly in paddy fields where rodents are abundant; with lizards being a particularly prominent part of its diet according to observations by Legge.