- Circus cyaneus
Identification
17 - 24 inches, a wingspan of 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 feet, and weighs 12 - 18 ounces. The female bird is quite a bit larger than the male.
Distribution
North America, Canada, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic States
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia-> Phylum: Chordata-> Class: Aves -> Order: Falconiformes-> Family: Accipitridae-> Genus: Circus-> Species: C. cyaneus
The North American race hudsonius formerly known as the Marsh Hawk has rufous-spotted flanks and thighs in male and darker upperparts and more orange underparts in female. This race has occurred as a vagrant to the Azores and the Faroes and possibly also in Britain.
Habitat
Breeds in marshes, grasslands and heathlands, sometimes in mountains, often in cultivated areas.
Behaviour
Diet includes small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and carrion. Harriers hunt using a low, slow flight over the ground, then plunge onto their prey.
They build a nest of sticks and grass on the ground in thick grass, shrubbery, or other vegetation. 3 - 6 eggs are laid and are incubated 29 - 31 days, and the young hawks fledge 4 - 5 1/2 weeks later. Harriers mature in 2 - 3 years, but may be able to breed their first year.
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Circus cyaneus (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
