Spotted Harrier

The spotted harrier belongs to the family Accipitridae. It is one of the largest avian families with 233 species in 67 genera included in the family worldwide. Both adults and juvenile birds have an owl-like facial ruff that creates the appearance of a short, broad head as well as long yellow legs. The spotted harrier's wings feature prominent black tips and the tail is prominently barred and slightly wedge shaped. (Wikipedia, general species account).

The spotted harrier (Circus assimilis) also known as the smoke hawk, is a large Australasian bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae. Accipitridae is the largest family in the order Accipitriformes and encompasses many of the diurnal birds of prey including hawks and eagles. The species is a medium-sized, slender bird of prey with adult females reaching 58–61 cm. Notable features include a geographic range of more than 20,000km2 (Birdlife International, 2012). (Wikipedia, general species account).