Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) lives in open savanna across North America. It feeds on small mammals birds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Northern Harrier
- The northern harrier's wings and tail are proportionally the longest of any North American raptor, measuring 97-122 cm across and extending well beyond its 41-52 cm body. This extreme length creates a distinctive silhouette that can be seen when the bird glides low over open country. It holds its long wings in a shallow V while hugging the ground, a flight style that lets it sweep fields and marshes with minimal effort.
- A single male northern harrier can mate with as many as five females in one breeding season, an uncommon form of polygyny among raptors. Each female builds her own nest, which the male helps defend while the females incubate. The nests are simple platforms of sticks placed directly on the ground or on a small mound of dirt and vegetation, allowing easy access for the low-flying adults.
- Male northern harriers defend territories that average about 2.6 km², but some territories can stretch to as much as 150 km², reflecting the wide range of suitable hunting ground. These territories encompass a mosaic of open habitats, including moorland, bogs, prairies, farmland, coastal prairies, marshes, grasslands and swamps. Within this expanse the male patrols low over the land, using his keen hearing and low flight to locate prey.
- When the northern harrier encounters larger animals such as rabbits or adult ducks it sometimes subdues them by forcing them underwater, effectively drowning the prey before it is eaten. The bird first surprises its target by drifting low over fields and moors, a flight style that keeps it close to the ground. After the initial strike it guides the struggling animal into shallow water where the harrier can hold it down.
- The northern harrier's facial disc functions like that of an owl, giving it exceptionally good hearing for a diurnal raptor. This acute auditory ability lets the bird locate hidden mammals while gliding low over open country. It often circles an area several times, listening and looking for the faint sounds of prey moving beneath the surface. The combination of keen hearing and low-level flight makes it a highly effective hunter of small mammals.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeNorth America
HabitatOpen savanna
DietSmall mammals birds
About the Northern Harrier
As the Northern Harrier glides effortlessly across the marshy landscape, its long wings beating in a slow, hypnotic rhythm, it embodies the very essence of a ghostly predator, its pale underside and white rump patch glowing like a specter in the fading light. With an uncanny ability to navigate the densest of vegetation, this majestic hunter threads its way through the reeds and grasses with the precision of a phantom, its acute hearing and exceptional vision guiding it in its relentless pursuit of small mammals and birds. In its element, the Northern Harrier is a master of stealth and deception, a true monarch of the wild and windswept places it calls home.
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Northern Harrier photographed on Feravox
