Northern Harrier
Circus cyaneus
Summary 7
The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) or Northern Harrier (in the Americas) is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a historical name for the American form.
Taxon biology 8
Do you ever see a hen harrier in the Netherlands? Then you are very fortunate! These beautiful birds are having a very difficult time surviving in this country. They are only found in just a few places and their numbers keep dropping. It is unknown why this is happening, but is probably due to a lack of food and a decline in their breeding grounds. Just like the marsh harrier, hen harriers have a shallow V-shaped sillouette as they scan the ground for prey or glide low over the ground.
Sources and Credits
- (c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/finaticphotography/8391992149/
- (c) Kevin Cole from Pacific Coast, USA, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Northern_Harrier_taking_off.jpg/460px-Northern_Harrier_taking_off.jpg
- Kositoes, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Wow2_filtered.jpg/460px-Wow2_filtered.jpg
- (c) Blake Matheson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3205637928_fdcc82715a_o.jpg
- (c) Geoff Gallice, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5282/5379499302_0ae4168829.jpg
- (c) N p holmes, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Hen_harrier_2.JPG/460px-Hen_harrier_2.JPG
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_cyaneus
- (c) Copyright Ecomare, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22758913
