The Hen Harrier is a slim, long-winged hawk of open country across Eurasia and the closest relative of the Northern Harrier that hunts over US marshes; the two were long treated as one species. As of early 2025 it had been recorded in the US only twice, both times in western Alaska. Its name comes from its old habit of taking free-ranging chickens.
Appearance
- Appearance
- 16–20 inches (41–52 cm) long with a 38–48 inch (97–122 cm) wingspan; females are larger than males. Males are gray above and white below with black wingtips; females and young are brown with a white rump, earning them the nickname "ringtails."
Look-alikes
Very similar. Male Northern Harriers are a darker gray than male Hen Harriers, and females are darker and more rufous. Where the bird was seen matters most: any harrier in the lower 48 states is a Northern Harrier.
Why they get mixed upThe two were treated as one species until 2016–2017 and share the same shape, white rump, and low, tilting flight.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Marshes
- Moorland
- Grasslands
- Farmland
- Range
- Breeds across northern Eurasia and winters farther south, from Europe and North Africa to central and eastern Asia. In milder places such as Great Britain and France some birds stay year-round. In the US, known from only two records in western Alaska as of early 2025: a wing found on Attu Island in 1999 and a live bird on Adak Island in January 2025.
Behavior
- Diet
- Mostly small mammals, plus birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects.
- Activity
- Flies low over open ground on long wings held in a shallow V, finding prey largely by hearing with the help of an owl-like .
Life cycle
- Nest
- Nests on the ground or a low mound in open country. Males sometimes mate with several females.
- Clutch size
- Usually 4–6 eggs, sometimes up to 8
- Incubation
- 31–32 days, by the female while the male brings food
- Fledging
- About 36 days
Name and classification
- About the name
- The Hen Harrier and the Northern Harrier were once treated as a single species until DNA research led to their split in 2016–2017, so older US field guides may use "Hen Harrier" or Circus cyaneus for the American bird.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- Its global population is thought to be slowly declining. In the UK it is critically low, largely because of habitat loss and illegal killing on grouse moors.
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