Birds of Prey
Northern Harrier
Circus hudsonius
A slim, long-tailed hawk that glides low over marshes and fields, tilting side to side. Its owl-like face helps it hunt by sound.
How to identify it
- Bright white rump patch at the base of the tail
- Owl-like facial disk
- Long wings held in a shallow V while gliding low
- Female and young: brown; adult male: pale gray with black wingtips
SizeAbout the size of an American Crow
American Robin10 in
American Crow19 in
Northern Harrier19 in
Canada Goose37 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 18–20 in long; wingspan 38–48 in
- Weight
- 10–26 oz
- Habitat
- Marshes, grasslands, fields and dunes
- When to see it
- Winter across most of the US, including the Carolinas; breeds in the North
- Diet
- Voles, mice, small birds
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Flies low over fields and marshes, locating voles and mice by sound as well as sight.
Nesting
A platform of grasses on the ground in dense vegetation.
- Clutch
- 3–6 eggs
- Incubation
- about 31–32 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 4–5 weeks
- Broods
- 1 per year
Behavior
Males may have more than one mate. Males pass food to females in midair.
Conservation
Declined with the loss of grasslands and marshes; still widespread.
Cool facts
- Its owl-like face helps it hunt by sound.
- Gray adult males are nicknamed the "gray ghost."
- It's the only harrier that breeds in North America.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Northern Harrier
▶Video coming soon
