Northern Harrier

Circus cyaneusOrder: FALCONIFORMES Family: Kites, Eagles and Hawks (Accipitridae)

Codes: Common Name: NOHA Scientific Name: CIRCYA ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175430

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Overview

Northern Harrier: Large hawk with gray upperparts, distinct white rump, and white underparts with spotted breast. Hooked bill is dark, yellow at base. Eyes are yellow. Wings are long, gray above, and white below with black tips. Legs, feet are yellow. Alternates several deep wing beats with glides.

Range and Habitat

Northern Harrier: Breeds from Alaska to the northern U.S. Spends winters from the southern U.S. to Central America. Preferred habitats include open fields, savannas, meadows, and marshes.

Topo Map: Hawk-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Shrill calls., Kek, kek, kek or keee, keee, keee.

Interesting Facts

Unusual among hawks, Northern Harriers use their sense of hearing to help locate prey. They have an owl-like facial disk to help with directional hearing and soft feathers for a quieter flight.

The species name of the Northern Harrier, Circus cyanus, comes from the Greek word “kirkos”, meaning circle and the word “cyan” which is a shade of blue. These refer to the Northern Harrier’s flight pattern while hunting and the color of the male bird.

The common name, Harrier, is from the Old English word “herigan” and means to harass or plunder.

A group of harriers has many collective nouns, including 'a swarm of harriers", and a "harassment of harriers."

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Northern Harrier

● Song: Shrill calls., Kek, kek, kek or keee, keee, keee.

● Foraging & Feeding: Northern Harrier: Eats mostly mice, but also takes insects and small reptiles. Glides close to ground when hunting, diving down quickly to capture prey.

● Breeding & nesting: Northern Harrier: Three to nine pale blue eggs, sometimes spotted with brown, are laid in a ground nest made of sticks and lined with grass, usually built on a raised mound of dirt or a clump of vegetation; often nests in loose colonies of 15 to 20 pairs. Incubation ranges from 31 to 32 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Northern Harrier: Rough-legged Hawk has broader wings and black subterminal tail band.

Flight Pattern

Several deep wing beats alternate with long glides.

● Range & Habitat: Northern Harrier: Breeds from Alaska to the northern U.S. Spends winters from the southern U.S. to Central America. Preferred habitats include open fields, savannas, meadows, and marshes.

^BreedingSolitary nester, Some monogamous

^PopulationDeclining

^MigrationSome migrate

^Weight12.6 Ounces

Hawk-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America