Swamp Harrier

Order Falconiformes; Family Accipitridae (Hawks and Eagles); Scientific name: Circus approximans; Common name: Swamp Harrier; Alternative common names: Marsh Harrier and Pacific Marsh-harrier – Consuming its prey - Distribution in Australia: present in all mainland states and Tasmania wherever there are suitable wetland habitats, absent in arid and semiarid environments of central and western Australia – Distribution outside Australia: New Guinea, Melanesia, Polynesia east to Tonga and New Zealand; Introduced to Society Islands.