Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)

Saw this fellow on a distance and called it a pallid! How wrong one can be! In the field on a distance it appeared "big and fat" just a as a hen harrier can appear, wherefore I did not think of it as a possible Montagu’s - as they always seems slim bodied and elegant (kite elegant). This is a 1Cy Montagu's Harrier: the hand is bordered by a dark trailing line on the primaries (on a pallid there are no dark trailing line). The body is too darkish orange-red on a pallid is should be brighter orange (carrot coloured). The face pattern is about "maximum" in resembling a pallid – meaning that the lighter coloured collar is as light as it can be in this species – on a pallid it should be even lighter (crème). Photo 13th August 2009 (Denmark). Copyright © Louis A. Hansen.

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