Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus, 1766)

393 gWeight

The northern harrier (Circus hudsonius), also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey.

Busiest months: January and October–November · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January and October–November · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Northern Harrier has been recorded at 967 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 26 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Parker River NWRUnited States21,872 records
  2. Reifel Bird SanctuaryCanada14,146 records
  3. Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States12,637 records
More places
  1. Bombay Hook National Wildlife RefugeUnited States11,378 records
  2. Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWRUnited States9,911 records
  3. Estero Llano Grande SP WBCUnited States9,645 records
  4. Edwin B. Forsythe NWR – Wildlife DriveUnited States8,479 records
  5. RNF du Cap-TourmenteCanada8,178 records
  6. Ridgefield NWR – River 'S' UnitUnited States7,753 records
  7. Bosque del Apache NWRUnited States7,556 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United StatesCanadaMexicoBelizeCosta RicaCubaNicaraguaBermuda

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The northern harrier (Circus hudsonius), also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost United States.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Northern Harrier?

The Northern Harrier weighs around 393 g.

Where does the Northern Harrier live?

Its breeding range: North America, Middle America: widespread. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Mexico.

When is the best time to see the Northern Harrier?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, October and November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Northern Harrier endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Northern Harrier as Least Concern.

What does the Northern Harrier eat?

Main food: Vertebrate prey.

What family is the Northern Harrier in?

It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.

At a glance

Weight
393 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Vertebrate prey
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
361 mm
Tail
213 mm
Bill
31 mm
Tarsus
82 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Middle America: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
Genus
Circus

Other birds in the genus Circus

Spotted HarrierSpotted HarrierCircus assimilisPallid HarrierPallid HarrierCircus macrourusBlack HarrierBlack HarrierCircus maurusHen HarrierHen HarrierCircus cyaneusCinereous HarrierCinereous HarrierCircus cinereusLong-winged HarrierLong-winged HarrierCircus buffoniMontagu's HarrierMontagu's HarrierCircus pygargusPied HarrierPied HarrierCircus melanoleucosWestern Marsh HarrierWestern Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosusAfrican Marsh HarrierAfrican Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorusEastern Marsh HarrierEastern Marsh HarrierCircus spilonotusPapuan HarrierPapuan HarrierCircus spilothorax
Northern Harrier

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Cin-Ty Lee. ↗

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