Circus
cyaneus
(Northern Harrier)
Physical
Description:
18-22" (46-55 cm). Male:
Gray above, white below. Black wing
tips; white rump; brown spotting below; light edging on feathers above. Female:
Brown above, buff below; heavy dark barring
on breast; streaking on head and face. Long tail on both sexes.
Similar Species- Turkey Vulture; which also has a dihedral to its wings ("V"-shaped in flight). Swainson's Hawk; which has more pointed wings and a dihedral in their soar.
Song:
Nasal, "baby toy"
squeak.
Distribution:
Breeds from Alaska, east to
Quebec, and south to Baja California, southern Texas, southern Missouri, West
Virginia, and southeastern Virginia. Winters from southern Canada to northern
South America.
Habitat:
Found on marshes, meadows, grasslands,
and cultivated fields. In Idaho, associated with deserts, marshes and irrigated
agriculture; avoids forested areas.
Diet:
Eats small mammals (especially voles and
cotton rats), small and medium-size birds (especially passerines), and some
reptiles, amphibians, large insects, and carrion.
Ecology:
Nests on ground. Perches on ground, or
on stumps or posts. Hunts mostly in early morning and late afternoon in some
areas, but may hunt throughout day. Usually flies low when hunting; captures
prey on ground. In winter, throughout range, individuals may aggregate in communal
roosts in areas of high prey
density, and may hunt in same area for several consecutive days. Roosts in winter
in undisturbed fields or marshes. In southwestern Idaho study, male and female
home ranges were 15.7 km2 and 1.13 km2, respectively. Males hunted up to 9.5
km from nests for voles and whiptail lizards.
Conservation:
Element Code: | ABNKC11010 |
Status: | Protected nongame species |
Global Rank: | G5 |
State Rank: | S5,NTMB |
National Rank: | N5B,N5N |
Important
State References:
Martin, J.W. 1987. Behavior
and habitat use of breeding Northern Harriers in southwestern Idaho. J. Raptor
Res. 21:57-66.