BIRDS: NONPASSERINES: HAWKS AND EAGLES

Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus

Family Accipitridae (Hawks and Eagles)

Size: 18"; females larger than males

Season: Year-round

Habitat: Open fields, wetlands

Also known as the marsh hawk, the northern harrier flies low over the landscape, methodically surveying its hunting grounds for rodents and other small animals. When it spots prey, aided by its acute hearing, it will drop abruptly to the ground to attack. The northern harrier is a thin raptor with a long tail and long, flame-shaped wings that are broad in the middle. The face has a distinct owl-like facial disk, and there is a conspicuous white patch at the rump. Males are gray above, with a white, streaked breast and black wing tips. Females are brown with a barred breast. The juvenile is similar in plumage to the female, but with a pale belly. The female, below, and a male, above, are illustrated.