Pallid Harrier

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Pallid Harrier in the UK

Pallid Harrier is a vagrant to Britain from the steppes of eastern Europe and central Asia, and is still treated as a national rarity. The first was shot on Fair Isle in spring 1931. Only three had been recorded by 1952, and it was still one of the rarest raptors on the British List in 2001, when a juvenile was found in Shetland. An influx in autumn 2011 changed the picture, with at least seven in Shetland alone, and records have been far more frequent since. The rise matches a westward shift in Europe: pairs bred in the Netherlands in 2017 and Spain in 2019. Globally it is classed as Near Threatened.

Where and when to see a Pallid Harrier

Most are juveniles found between late August and October. Shetland takes the largest share, with others on Orkney and down the east and south coasts of England. A few adults and second-year birds pass through in April and May, and the odd one has stayed for the winter. Look over rough grass, stubble, dunes and saltmarsh, where birds quarter low into the wind. News usually breaks as a 'ringtail' harrier on a bird news service, with the identification settled from photographs later the same day.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Open ground (rare passage).
Diet: Voles, lizards, small birds.
Field note: Increasing vagrant from steppes.

How to identify a Pallid Harrier

A little smaller and slimmer than a Hen Harrier, with narrower, more pointed wings that show four 'fingers' at the tip, not five. Juveniles are the usual age here: plain orange-buff below with no streaks, a pale collar behind a dark 'boa' on the neck sides, and a dark face with a white patch under the eye. Adult males are very pale grey with a white breast and a narrow black wedge in the wingtip, without the Hen Harrier's grey hood and broad black hand. Adult females are streaked and need good underwing photos. Flight is light and buoyant, close to Montagu's.

Call and song

Silent in Britain. Its chattering calls are given around the nest on the breeding grounds, so sound will not help you with a migrant. Identification here rests on structure and plumage. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Hen Harrier: Hen Harrier is bulkier with broader wings and five fingered primaries, and its juveniles are streaked below.
• Montagu's Harrier: Juvenile Montagu's is also plain orange below but lacks the pale collar and dark boa, and shows dark tips to the underside of the primaries.
• Northern Harrier: A juvenile Northern Harrier is orange below too, but it has the broad, five-fingered wing of a Hen Harrier and a dark hooded head.

Related guide UK raptors and owls.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Pallid Harrier is an Epic tier bird, worth +20 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Montagu's HarrierRare · Cereal fields (very rare breeder)
• Northern HarrierLegendary · Marsh (very rare)
• Hen HarrierRare · Moorland
• Marsh HarrierUncommon · Reedbeds
• Black-winged PratincoleEpic · Open ground (very rare)
• Iberian Pied WagtailEpic · Open ground (very rare)

Pallid Harrier: quick answers

Has a Pallid Harrier been seen in the UK?

Yes. The first British record was on Fair Isle in 1931, and after decades as an extreme rarity it has been found much more often since an influx in 2011. Most stay a day or two. A few settle for weeks, which is when a twitch builds.

When is the best time to see a Pallid Harrier?

September. Juveniles leaving the breeding grounds drift west on easterly winds from late August to October, and that window holds most British records. April and May bring a second, smaller chance, mostly of older birds heading north.

What does a Pallid Harrier eat?

Small mammals, voles above all, plus small birds, lizards and large insects. It hunts like other harriers, flying low and slowly over open ground and dropping on to prey. Breeding numbers on the steppe rise and fall with vole numbers.

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