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  Profile

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  In flight

Birds of Prey

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

• uncommon
• 40 km/h
• Least Concern

Hunts low and slow across marshes with an owl-like face for sound. Locates lunch by ear.

Population

roughly 820,000 individuals (global estimate)

Habitat

Open country such as marshes, grasslands, prairies, bogs, moorland, and agricultural/coastal fields; requires good ground cover for nesting.

Fun fact

The Northern Harrier is the only North American raptor with an owl-like facial disc, which channels sound to its ears and lets it locate hidden prey by hearing alone.

Range

Breeds across northern North America (Alaska/Canada to the northernmost U.S., Great Lakes/Plains); winters south through the continental U.S. into Mexico and Central America; some populations year-round in parts of the Midwest/mountain West.

Diet

Mainly small mammals (especially voles, cotton rats, ground squirrels — up to ~95% of diet) and small-to-medium birds (up to flicker/small duck size), plus amphibians, reptiles, and large insects (e.g. grasshoppers); occasionally carrion in winter. Hunts by coursing low over open ground, using hearing to locate hidden prey.

Size

0.46 m

Wingspan

1.08 m

Lifespan

16 years