Northern Harrier

Description:

The Northern Harrier is distinctive from a long distance away: a slim, long-tailed hawk gliding low over a marsh or grassland, holding its wings in a V-shape and sporting a white patch at the base of its tail. Up close it has an owlish face that helps it hear mice and voles beneath the vegetation. Males are gray above and whitish below with black wingtips, a dark trailing edge to the wing, and a black-banded tail. Females and immatures are brown, with black bands on the tail. Adult females have whitish undersides with brown streaks, whereas immatures are buffy, with less streaking.

Habitat:

A pair hunting in the fields just before the back entrance to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/inde...

Notes:

Northern harriers hunt by flying low to the ground in open areas. Harriers circle an area several times listening and looking for prey. When they spot prey, they swoop down and grab the prey with their sharp claws. These are the only hawk-like bird known to practice polygyny - one male mates with several females. When incubating eggs, the female sits on the nest while the male hunts and brings food to her and the chicks.