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Northern Harrier
Photos by Bruce
Dayton
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ORDER:
Falconiformes
FAMILY: Accipitridae (Hawks and Eagles - 25
Species)
SPECIES: Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
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Northern Harrier |
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The Northern Harrier is the only species of harrier found in North America. They are sometimes called "good hawks" because they are not a danger to poultry and eat the rodents and insects that destroy the farmer's crops. They are also known as "Marsh Hawk" in parts of the U.S. |
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SIZE |
The Northern Harrier is a medium-sized (18-24") sleek bird of prey (raptor). |
| DESCRIPTION |
Adult males are pale gray above with white underwings and bellies. They have spotted breasts with black wingtips. Adult females have a brown back with breasts and bellies that are heavily streaked in brown. The females are larger than the males. A prominent field mark of both the male and female northern harrier is its white rump that shows most easily in flight. The northern harrier has an owl-like facial appearance. (See SPECIAL below) |
| NESTING | Clutch size ranges from 4-6 eggs, which are incubated in 30 to 32 days. They build a 20 to 30 inch diameter nest on the ground or on a dirt and grass mound. They are made of sticks and are lined inside with grass and leaves. |
| RANGE | The Northern Harrier breeds in Alaska and south-east through Canada and in north-eastern states. The species winters over parts of its nesting range, but more commonly south through Mexico, Central America, northwestern South America. They are also found in Asia and Europe. |
| HABITAT | They habitat open areas around wetlands, such as wet meadows, fields, sloughs and marshes, Northern Harriers generally perch low and fly close to the ground in search of prey. They will circle an area several times listening and looking for prey. |
| DIET | It feeds primarily on small rodents; such as mice. It also feeds on insects (especially grasshoppers) along with reptiles and amphibians. |
| SPECIAL | The harrier's owl-like facial disk is due to the presence of filo (hair-like) feathers that facilitate acute directional hearing. They are useful for locating prey in marshes and other areas of high grass, where vision is limited. This also helps them in the early evening hours when shadows obscue vision. |
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| Northern Harrier | |
| Montezuma
National Wildlife Refuge Seneca County, New York |
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| NtHr_087B_200209 | NtHr_087B_200387 |
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| NtHr_087B_030173 | NtHr_087B_030174 |
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| NtHr_087B_030178 | |
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Marsh Hawk Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes |
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| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Binocular Vision |
| The situation where the fields of view of the eyes overlap, as opposed to 'monocular vision' in which such overlap does not occur. Binocular vision assists in the pinpointing of objects, and so is useful to owls for catching prey. In most types of birds binocular vision is limited, the most notable exceptions being the owls. |
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| The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit. |
NOTE: This site will be updated as time and pictures become available.
Visit Mammals of North America
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Updated 10-20-2008
