tsheunglai

Dear Stonechat

Though your photo is a bit blurred, it nevertheless affords identification which I am of the
opinion that it is an Eastern marsh harrier for the following reasons:

Structurally, it is wide-winged and proportionally the tail looks a bit short
for a pied.

It is probably a juvenile male for showing no pale rump and and no sharp underwing primary base
contrast which for a pied should be whitish with black towards tips instead of buffy with black
outer part.

So I takes it to be a Eastern marsh harrier.

S L Tai

tsheunglai

Dear Stonechat

I'm a bit misled by your thinking that it's a harrier.

That tail tells everything. The bill shape and upper wing pattern also point towards it being
a black-eared kite.

I've just realized how new-handed I'm at photographic identification of birds!

S L Tai