Back and forth she flies, always looking down. Now and then she gives a little flap, like a skater pushing off with one foot, and glides.
Northern Harriers live mostly on small rodents. She’s flying 5 to 10 feet above the grasses, and the vole doesn't see her until too late. Suddenly she drops her feet down like landing gear and snatches the little animal out of the grass. Feast for the hawk. For the vole, not so much.
Viva la difference!
Adult male Northern Harriers look different from the females. If you were judging by color, you might think they were different species. She is brown, white, and tan. He has silvery-white underparts and a gray back.
Both have a white rump. Even at a great distance, in drab light, certain signs shout Northern Harrier. The hunting style of harrying prey close to the ground, the long tail, and the supple-winged flight make identification a snap. Very satisfying.
North America’s own harrier
There are about 16 harriers in the world, all belonging to the genus Circus, and living on every continent except Antarctica. There’s one on Madagascar and one in the Indian Ocean island Réunion. In North America we have only one, the Northern Harrier, Circus hudsonius.
Where our harriers live
Our harrier, the Northern Harrier, lives throughout North America, but the populations fluctuate between north and south according to the season. The harriers who breed farthest north fly the farthest south for the winter, leapfrogging over the ones who remain more in the middle of the continent.
The Cornell Lab's range map shows orange where the species lives in summer. The winter range is in blue. Purple means year-around. Although the Northern Harrier lives in Iowa all year around, I most often find them on leaf-bare winter days.
To keep them skating free
Northern Harriers depend to a large extent on grasslands, where they feed on voles, mice, shrews, rabbits, and other small prey. There are fewer of them every year, but they are not among the most highly endangered of birds. However, they are endangered in Iowa and lots of other states. Preserving grasslands is one of the management techniques that helps harriers.
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I do hope to see one...maybe this summer in Eastern Sierra, or here on the Central Coast!
I have a challenge id-ing a sharp shinned from Cooper's hawk. But have seen a red shouldered at the Harbor, beneath the Great Blue & Egret nests. And lately a Bald Eagle has been at the Harbor, who's nest is under a mile away. And there was a hawk on a fence with the Egrets at the park this week, but I could not id him-I needed binocs.