Latin name:Circus melanoleucos
Vietnamese Name:Diều mướp
Family:Accipitridae
Order:Falconiformes
Class (Group):

Adult Male:

Head, neck, breast, and back with short scapular feathers, medium-sized greater coverts, and six primary feathers that are black-tipped. Long, gray scapular feathers with broad white edges. White flanks. Gray tail with banding and white tips. Gray under tail coverts with pale white tips; the outer tail feathers have white inner edges. Lesser coverts white, slightly grayish with a black band along the wing edge. The remaining coverts and flight feathers are gray, slightly brownish. The remainder of the underparts, axillaries, and underwing are white.

Adult Female:

Generally brown, with the crown and lesser coverts, the feather edges have brown hues around the neck, with pale brownish-white borders. The tail feathers are paler, slightly brownish, especially on the sides, and have 5-6 dark brown transverse bands. The flight feathers are dark brown; the base of the inner feather vanes is pale white-brownish and has brown bands. The breast, belly, and flanks are paler brown than the back, and the feathers all have broad white, brownish-white, or yellowish-white edges. The undertail coverts and thighs are nearly white, with a yellowish-brown hue, and brown color only remains as a narrow streak on the feather shaft. The underwings are white, with broad transverse bands or vertical brownish-yellow streaks.

Juvenile:

Generally similar to the female, but the back is darker; the feathers on the head and neck have dark brownish edges; the nape has white streaks created by the white feather bases. The belly is pale brownish-yellow with dark brown streaks on the breast and flanks. The facial disc is indistinct.

General:

Eyes: Yellow; in juveniles and females, pale brown.
Bill: Blue-gray with a black tip. The base of the bill is dull yellow or pale green.
Legs: Orange-yellow; in juveniles and females, dull yellow.

Measurements:

Male: Wing: 344 – 367 mm; Tail: 197 – 217 mm; Tarsus: 76 – 80 mm; Bill: 22 – 24 mm.
Female: Wing: 360 – 387 mm; Tail: 211 – 240 mm; Tarsus: 81 – 88 mm; Bill: 25 – 27 mm.

Distribution:

This species is distributed in Siberia, Mongolia, and Northern China. In winter, they migrate south to India, Myanmar, Southern China, Indochina, and the Philippines.

In Vietnam, during the winter, this species is found throughout most regions from North to South, but often concentrates in the plains, particularly areas with rice fields, marshes, and ponds.