Pied Harrier

A spectacular harrier patterned in black and silvery white. The male is distinctive with black head, striking yellow cere and eyes, and black shoulders, breast, and wingtips, contrasting with its silvery-white underparts and forewing. The female is gray-and-brown above and lighter below, with a small white rump. Females superficially resemble female Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers, but have a paler underwing with narrow dark barring and sparse streaking on underwing coverts. The species hunts by quartering suitable habitat on buoyant wings. It eats mostly small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects.

the Pied Harrier is considered a rare bird in Sri Lanka, being only seen occasionally as a winter migrant, with sightings mostly limited to the northern parts of the island; it is considered one of the rarest harriers in the country.

In Sri Lanka, the Pied Harrier primarily feeds on small mammals like mice and lizards, with its diet often including a significant amount of lizards based on observations in the region; it may also eat small birds, frogs, and insects like grasshoppers, similar to its diet elsewhere in its range.