Circus macrourus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The pallid harrier (Circus macrourus) is a species of harrier, a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It breeds in southern parts of eastern Europe and central Asia and Iran and winters mainly in India and southeast Asia. It is a rare but increasing vagrant to Great Britain and western Europe. In 2017 a pair of pallid harriers nested in a barley field in the Netherlands; they raised four chicks, the first recorded breeding of the species in the country. In 2019, a pair bred in Spain for the first time.
This medium-sized raptor breeds on open plains, bogs and heathland. In winter it is a bird of open country. The scientific name is Ancient Greek. Circus is from kirkos (circle), referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight ('probably the hen harrier), and macrourus is "long-tailed", from makros (long) and -ouros (-tailed).
This is a typical harrier, with long wings held in a shallow V in its low flight. It also resembles other harriers in having distinct male and female plumages. Adults measure 40–48 cm (16–19 in) long with a wingspan of 95–120 cm (37–47 in). Males weigh 315 g (11.1 oz) while the slightly larger females weigh 445 g... Wikipedia →
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Harrier sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 260th most-seen of the 276 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Harrier in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and May–December, the lowest months. Those are among Ruaha National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain a month against almost none in June.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pale Harrier sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
14th of 29
Of the 29 parks where we can rate Pale Harrier sightings, Ruaha National Park ranks 14th at under 5%. The best odds are in Masai Mara National Reserve (Kenya, about 10%), Bale Mountains National Park (Ethiopia, about 10%) and Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Pale Harrier that you can see in Ruaha National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Bateleur (about 60%), African Fish-Eagle (about 50%) and Tawny Eagle (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pale Harrier is recorded against all the birds logged in Ruaha National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
