Eastern Marsh Harrier    Circus spilonotus

Etymology: 

• Circus: Greek word kirkos –partly mythical hawk, named for its circling flight (kirkos –circle).

• Spilonotus : Greek word spilos- spot; notos -backed. 

Vernacular names: Hindi: Kutar, Kulesir, Safed sira, Sans: Kucch patri, Pun: Chhanbhi kirla mar, Ben: Pan cheel, Tika bauri, Guj: Pan pattayi/pattai, Mar: Daldal sasana, Daldal harin, Daldali Bhovtya Ori: Pani chila, Ta: Poonai parundu, Te: Tella tala pilligadda, Mal: Karitappi, Sinh: Ukussa, Kurulla goya 

Distribution in India: Winter visitor in South & North East India.

Description: Size of 47–55 cm; weight of 370–780 g; wingspan of 119–145 cm. The male has white head and breast streaked with black or dark brown, white belly, dark mantle with white feather edgings and unbarred greyish tail. Irides and cere are yellow. The female mostly brownish overall with brown streaks on breast, rufous-brownish upperparts and rufous-grey tail with 4–5 dark bars. The legs and feet are yellow. The Immature is darker. The Irides and cere are brownish and greenish-yellow, in juvenile.

Habitat: It is found in dense marsh vegetation, reeds and reedmace, in aquatic habitats of both fresh and brackish water, marshes, swamps, lagoons, grassland, low vegetation, salt-pans, paddyfields and other cereal fields. It is found from plains to 2000 m. On migration and in winter over forest and mountains above 3000 m.

Food habits: It eats small or medium-sized birds, and often their chicks and eggs rodents and rabbits, fish, reptiles, frogs and some invertebrates.

Breeding habits: They breed in May to early Jun. They nest on ground in marshes, mainly in reedbeds. The nest is large; built of reeds and sticks, without any special lining. They lay a clutch of 3–7 eggs. The incubation period is 33–48 days. The fledging days is 35–40 days.