Pied Harrier

The Pied Harrier is more commonly found on the eastern parts of India and is a migrant from the north-eastern parts of Asia. The harriers gets its name from the typically pied (black & white formations) plumage of the male Pied Harrier.

Breeding and migration

The Pied Harrier has been recorded breeding in Assam, Eastern India (Narayan and Rosalind 1991) and up north in the Amur valley of eastern Russia, north-eastern China and North Korea. In India they breed in tall alluvial grasslands of lower Assam in April and May. They are more commonly found on the eastern parts of India and migrate along the eastern parts of Asia.

Habitat

Found near the rivers, in the valleys of Brahmaputra river, in the Himalayan regions. and wintering along the eastern parts of India.

Diet

They depend largely on voles and other rodents in their breeding areas and to a more diverse diet including small birds, nestlings frogs, snakes and insects in their wintering areas (Narayan and Rosalind 1991).