Papuan Harrier (Circus spilothorax)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Papuan Harrier

Circus spilothorax Salvadori & D'Albertis, 1875

47–54 cmLength559 gWeight

The Papuan harrier (Circus spilothorax) is a bird of prey native to New Guinea which belongs to the harrier genus Circus.

Busiest months: July–August · Most records: Papua New Guinea, Indonesia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: July–August · Most records: Papua New Guinea, Indonesia

Papuan Harrier has been recorded at 17 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Tari GapPapua New Guinea87 records
  2. Ambua LodgePapua New Guinea50 records
  3. Highlands Hwy – above Ambua Lodge to Tari GapPapua New Guinea35 records
More places
  1. Rondon Ridge LodgePapua New Guinea25 records
  2. Kumul LodgePapua New Guinea25 records
  3. Brown River/Vanapa River lowlandsPapua New Guinea7 records
  4. Tonga TrailPapua New Guinea7 records
  5. Rondon RidgePapua New Guinea7 records
  6. Pacific Adventist UniversityPapua New Guinea4 records
  7. Boystown Road – Bowerbird HillPapua New Guinea2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Papua New GuineaIndonesia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Papuan harrier (Circus spilothorax) is a bird of prey native to New Guinea which belongs to the harrier genus Circus. It was classified as a subspecies of the eastern marsh harrier (Circus spilonotus) of eastern Asia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Papuan Harrier?

The Papuan Harrier is about 47–54 cm long and weighs around 559 g.

Where does the Papuan Harrier live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: west-central to southeastern New Guinea. It is most often recorded in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

When is the best time to see the Papuan Harrier?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July and August (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Papuan Harrier endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Papuan Harrier as Least Concern.

What does the Papuan Harrier eat?

Main food: Vertebrate prey.

What family is the Papuan Harrier in?

It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.

At a glance

Length
47–54 cm
Weight
559 g
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Vertebrate prey
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
377 mm
Tail
216 mm
Bill
35 mm
Tarsus
89 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: west-central to southeastern New Guinea

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
Genus
Circus

Other birds in the genus Circus

Papuan Harrier

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by (c) Thorhold Souilljee, all rights reserved. ↗

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