Swamp Harrier

Images ©:
©Bob Winters

Circus approximans

Large harrier, up to 60 cm. Slim body. Long slender legs. Long tail, rounded at the tip. Females are larger, with rufous (red) underparts. Males are smaller and lighter underneath. Legs and eyes are yellow. This species has a slow sailing flight on up-swept wings, flying low over water.

Details
Type
Bird
Group
Animals
Harrier
Other Common Names
Australiasian Harrier, Marsh Harrier
Biology

Breeding season: September to December. Clutch size is three to six. Nest is made from grasses and straw, hidden above the water in dense reeds in a swamp or in crops or long grass near water. Usually nest in single pairs. The female incubates and broods the young. The males hunt for food. He transfers the food to the females in the air, before she feeds it to the young. Many move north in late summer and autumn. They migrate in groups and often roost in groups on the ground.
Distinctive Markings

Dark brown above, with a white rump. Wings are long and broad, with 5 'fingers' on the wing tips in flight.
Taxonomy
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Falconiformes
Family
Accipitridae
Genus
Circus
Species
approximans

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

Swamp Harriers are easily disturbed at the nest and will abandon their eggs if approached by people.

Interesting Facts
Diet

Carnivore. Hunts for birds and eggs, large insects, frogs, reptiles and small mammals, up to the size of hares and rabbits.
Habitat

Found in terrestrial wetlands and open country, including fresh and salt wetlands, often in deep swamps with emergent reeds and over open water.
Native Status
Native to Australia
Audio
Sounds
Usually silent, but gives a high pitched descending whistle in the breeding display.