Pallid Harrier

The identification of the Pallid Harrier presents difficulties due to the closeness with the Common Harrier in certain plumages. We will emphasize the distinctive characters. As with all harriers, sexual dimorphism is very great.
The adult male is easily recognizable by its typical grey ash above, white below with the head very pale and the tip of the wing black.
The iris is yellow lemon to golden yellow. In flight, it is even easier to identify. It is completely clear, except for the black tip of the wing. No dark bars in the wing. Furthermore, the black only concerns primary remiges 6 to 9, the seventh being the longest black, giving the impression of an inserted black brush or corner at the tip of the wing in a downward view. The photos show this well.
The adult female resembles the Common Harrier female, brown above with a white patch at the rump and a pale area on the coverts, russet / whitish below with the chest streaked and the wings marked with brown. Compared to the female cendré (between parentheses):
- the silhouette is finer and the flight more dynamic,
- the pale areas framing the eye are reduced to 2 quite thin traits, one above and one below (pale eye zones much wider),
- the cheek is largely dark brown and limited at the back by a more marked pale arch forming a collar (cheek less brown and no pale arch),
- the axillaries are brown and dotted with whitish (clearly barred with brown),
- from the bottom, pale primaries irregularly barred, pale internals at the extremity (regularly barred and ended with dark),
- finally, the secondary remiges are darker than pale, in contrast with the back (as dark as pale, with less contrast).
The birds become reproductive adults at 3 years old, but the male does not show its perfect adult plumage until the age of 4.Immature plumages are complex and in their second year the sexes are similar except for the eye, which is already yellow in the male.
The juvenile is very similar to the adult Cinereous Harrier, dark brown above with the white rump, plain orange-buff below. To distinguish them it is necessary to use the same criteria as for an adult female. Two in particular can be observed in the field if a juvenile is in flight: the Pallid Harrier has a distinctive pale collar at the back of the cheeks, and its very dark secondaries are in stark contrast to the wingtips.