Hen Harrier

Circus cyaneus

Quarters low over moorland with wings raised in a V. Persecuted in Britain, protected on paper.

Habitat: Open country — moorlands, heathland, bogs, grasslands, marshes, and farmland
Fun fact: Male hen harriers are so different in plumage from the larger, brown females (grey-white vs. brown) that the sexes were long mistaken for different species, and some males are polygynous, pairing with up to five females in a single breeding season.
Range: Breeds across northern and temperate Eurasia (from Britain and Scandinavia east to Siberia); migratory populations winter south into southern Europe, North Africa, and southern Asia, with some milder-climate populations resident year-round
Diet: Mainly small mammals (voles and other rodents, up to ~95% of diet) and small birds such as meadow pipits, taken by quartering low over open ground; also amphibians, reptiles, and insects
Size: 0.45 m
Wingspan: 1.1 m
Lifespan: 8 years

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