The pied harrier (Circus melanoleucos) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, named for the male’s distinctive white and black colouration.

[2] The male is black on the head, neck, back, breast, and primary flight feathers, and white on the forewing, rump, and the rest of its underparts.

[2] The pied harrier’s breeding range extends east roughly from Lake Baikal in southern Siberia through Mongolia and Northeast China, as far south as North Korea.

Their wintering range is from eastern India and Sri Lanka, through South East Asia to the Philippines and Borneo.

[3] Their habitat in the north is primarily steppes or boggy birch scrubs and in the south they spend their time in paddy fields and swamps.

They will occasionally eat small birds such as larks and pipits, and sometimes frogs, lizards, snakes, and insects such as beetles or grasshoppers.

[2] Courtship involves aerial displays such as high circling, the male diving at the female, undulating sky dances, and food passes.

[2] These birds are primarily solitary, but may form loose groups at roosts or ideal feeding locations, as well as during migration.

[7] This refers to the colouration of the adult male, and parallels the common name of pied harrier.

The pied harrier is ranked as least concern according to the IUCN, although the population is thought to be decreasing, likely due to drainage and agricultural development.