Description and Overview of the Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract

The current study gives information about the Taxonomy, morphology, and migration routes of the Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus which is one of the most common raptors in Iraq's southern Mesopotamian marshlands. This review presented several topics related to the monitoring migration of this bird, Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus, its classification where it belongs to the order of Accipitriformes and the family of Accipitridae. It has been considered a native breeding resident in Iraq marshes ( specially south area ) and maybe in the wetlands part of middle Iraq , also it has been considered a migrant visiting Iraq in winter. It was once widespread in the Euphrates wetlands, and It bred in Hammar Lake and the marshes nearby Basra. The description of the bird, is a huge, hefty harrier with rather broad wings, larger than other European harriers. The male's feathers is mysterious reddishbrown and brighter golden streaks seen especially over the breast. A majority of the area around the shoulders and the head have a mild greyish-yellowish color. The rectrices, secondary and tertiary remiges are all absolute grey, contrasting with a brown color in the forewing and the black main remiges on their wingtips. About the female is nearly totally chocolatey brown. The upper parts of the head, throat, and the shoulders have a markedly brighter yellowish tone; These could be sharply delineated with quite contrasting. There are two major known migratory raptor routes in the western Palearctic, the first one is flyway from West African , Eurasian- to East African (named western of Black Sea), that connects northern Europe with western Siberia to Middle East which ends in the sub-Saharan Africa ,the second flyway from Western European- to the West African ( the Atlantic) , which raptors use.