MEADOW HARRIER (Circus pygargus)
ORDER OF FALCONIFORMES, OR DIURAL BIRDS OF PRAIRY (Falconiformes)
HAWK FAMILY (Accipitridae)
Harriers, including the meadow harrier (Circus pygargus), differ from other hawks in their slimmer build, long narrow wings and long tail, as well as their characteristic “hunting” flight low from the ground, with rare deep wing beats. The male meadow harrier is smaller than the female and has bluish plumage. The male has two black stripes on the underside of the wing, and the flight feathers at the end of the wings are completely black. Females have brown plumage and are very similar to females of other harriers. Three black-brown stripes are visible on the bottom of the female's tail.
Bird of prey harrier: photo and description
In nature, there are more than 5 species of this feathered predator. The most common is the marsh or reed species. This bird has a gray color with a brownish tint. White (gray) stripes can be seen along the surface of the wings and back. The plumage of the bird is uniformly colored with one color, in some areas only individual darker or, conversely, lighter highlights of shades are distinguished. The piebald harrier has strong, tenacious long legs and a powerful long tail made of hard elastic feathers. The harrier is a bird with a rather sharp, curved beak and incredibly tenacious claws. This is a predator! And that's it.
If we evaluate the dimensions of the bird’s body, we can conclude that the hen harrier and other varieties of this breed of birds occupy middle positions in the list of the hawk family.
Description
Marsh harriers have a beautiful dark-colored beak, which is approximately 2 centimeters long. The color of the male is predominantly brown, although the feathers on the neck and head are yellowish. The ventral area is usually a rust color interspersed with yellow. Their weight is small - usually 500 grams. Females are less noticeable and have a grayish head and chest with yellow-brown stripes. They weigh more than males, namely about 800 grams. Basically, the body reaches 40-60 centimeters in length, and the wingspan can reach almost half a meter. Birds have binocular vision, but it has a significant drawback: to see objects to the side, you need to turn your head.
Marsh Harrier: difference between males and females
This breed of predators has pronounced gender differences. Males have a compact structure and a more miniature body. The body length of an adult male reaches 44-48 centimeters. The female has a more impressive body size - 48-55 centimeters. The wingspan of males is 10 centimeters less than that of females. The female specimen boasts a wingspan of 120 centimeters.
There are significant differences in the color of individuals depending on gender. The gray harrier is, rather, a male of the said bird of prey. It is the male individual that is characterized by a light gray color with an even whiter belly. The female is brown-variegated in color with pronounced dark curly stripes.
Characteristic differences can also be found in the behavior of harriers of different sexes. During the mating season, the male actively conquers the female. The female becomes incredibly aggressive during the period of hatching her offspring. She zealously protects her brood and reacts sharply to any danger. The protective impulse sometimes triples the power of the bird. She can easily drive away a fox, a steppe eagle, or a dog from her offspring.
Marsh Harrier in flight
Harrier breeding
Harriers reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 year. Most birds are monogamous. While courting the female, the male performs real acrobatic stunts in the sky: first he flies high and then falls sharply down, spinning.
Harriers nest in small colonies, from 15 to 20 pairs. During the mating season, the harrier guards its territory very carefully, drives away birds from the nest and even attacks humans.
Harrier nests are often built directly on the ground, in clearings near water and large open spaces, such as fields, meadows, and swamps, where the birds hunt. The harrier's nest is a flat structure made of dry thin branches, lined with grass stems on the inside. The diameter of the nest is from 50 to 60 cm, the height is 25-30 cm. The nest is mainly built by the female, while the male hunts.
The harrier has one clutch, which occurs in mid-May or early June. The clutch contains from 3 to 7 (usually 3-5) white eggs with a blue tint. The female does the incubation. Only occasionally does she leave the nest to the male. Hatching lasts about 32 days. The chicks are born in white down with a grayish-ocher tint. The male is engaged in obtaining food, and the female feeds the offspring. After two weeks, the male leaves the nest, and the female continues to care for the offspring. The chicks leave the nest at the age of 1 month.
Where does the harrier bird live?
The harrier is a field winged bird that densely inhabits open landscape spaces. When choosing a forest area, the harrier will settle somewhere on the edge. These birds like the open steppe zone.
The distribution range of this bird is very wide. Harrier lives in Europe and America. Africa, Australia, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus. It is difficult to meet this feathered predator only in the distant polar regions.
The harrier is a freedom-loving and proud predator! What bird can be disturbed in the meadow? Definitely not a harrier. The fact is that this is a real predator that uses its capabilities to the fullest! The bird prefers to soar high in the sky and makes a steep dive when it sees its prey.
Marsh Harrier in all its glory
Feeding features of the harrier
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The basis of the harrier's diet consists of mouse-like rodents, namely voles, hamsters, and mice. Where there is a lot of such prey, the harrier will feed exclusively on rodents. Thus, in America, Pennsylvania voles become the main prey of the harrier. The harrier hunts, flying low and silently over the surface of the earth, on which the bird carefully looks out for its prey.
Harriers also eat amphibians, reptiles, and insects. They hunt other birds, hares, ground squirrels, and shrews. They rarely feed on carrion.
Breed varieties
There are more than a dozen species of this bird in the world. But it is worth mentioning separately the most common types of harrier.
Eurasian Hen Harrier (circus cyaneus)
A large representative of its species with a characteristic brown-gray color. The Hen Harrier is distributed throughout Eurasia. It feeds mainly on mice.
Steppe Harrier
This bird is classified as an endangered species. The steppe harrier is listed on the IUCN Red List. A bird with a characteristic bluish color. A large predator - a representative of birds - lives in various regions of the mountainous Caucasus and steppe regions of Russia. It feeds on mice, lizards, and other small animals that live in its area of distribution.
Photo of the steppe harrier
Asian piebald harrier
Breeds in Transbaikalia, Amur region, Moldova. You can find it in China. Large bird with black and white coloration. Other characteristics of this variety differ little from other representatives of the breed.
Gray Harrier
Lives in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay. This variety boasts a classic beige-brown color with gray streaks. The size of representatives of this species is large. Corresponds to the classic characteristics of the breed.
Photo of gray harrier
Meadow Harrier
The smallest representative of the species! An adult meadow harrier may not exceed 41-44 cm in length. The body weight of such a bird is from 335 to 450 grams.
The meadow harrier is widespread in northeast Africa, Eurasia, from the Atlantic to Altai.
Photo of meadow harrier
Harrier in the Red Book
Birds, as a species equated to the second category - vulnerable, are listed in the Red Book of some regions of Russia:
- Ryazan;
- Moscow;
- Lipetskaya;
- Kaluga;
- Nizhny Novgorod;
- Ulyanovskaya.
The Hen Harrier is included in the Red Book of many countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Tatarstan and others.
Main causes of extinction
The main reasons for the extinction of birds include:
- human economic activity;
- destruction of suitable habitats for the species;
- poaching.
Current population situation
The number of birds does not reach a threatened species and depends on the use of land in agriculture in certain periods. Peculiarities of land use in different years affect the number of Hen Harrier during this period.
The decline in bird numbers is affected by: environmental disturbances, extermination of birds, destruction of nests and destruction of habitats.
What measures are taken to protect
The common harrier is a protected species. To preserve the bird population, it is necessary to promote bird conservation and observe the ban on poaching.
What birds are similar to the harrier?
The harrier bird is a representative of the falcon family! This species of feathered predator has several brothers. There are also birds similar in description to the bright representatives of harriers.
Eagle - burial ground
Large bird of prey of the hawk family. It chooses steppe and forest-steppe as its habitat. It has similar habits to the harrier and a characteristic color.
Photo of Imperial Eagle
Snake eater
Another representative of this family. The large feathered predator is similar to the harrier in color, size, and some habits. However, this bird has completely different gastronomic preferences, which are easy to guess from the name.
Photo of the snake eagle bird
Steppe kestrel
From a distance it is easy to confuse it with the steppe harrier. However, upon closer examination it is clear that the similarity can be traced only in color, size and, more distantly, in body structure. The kestrel has a neater beak. The bird belongs to the same hawk family. However, it looks less like a predator than its previous relatives on the list.
If you look at a photo of a marsh harrier or another type of bird, it is easy to conclude that almost every member of the family is similar. But, each species and breed has its own differences, which are not limited to external qualities, but also extend to character, habits, and habitat.
Photo of the steppe kestrel
Distribution and habitats
This bird from the order Falconiformes is part of the hawk family.
Their habitat is quite wide. The meadow harrier is mostly distributed in the following areas:
- Eurasia (east to Altai);
- North West Africa;
- Western Siberia (north to Tyumen, Krasnoyarsk and Tara);
- Omsk region (treeless habitats).
Common habitats are steppes and forest-steppes near swamps and lakes, in wet meadows and among numerous agricultural lands. Only in some places do they penetrate into the forest zone.
Nesting and offspring
Only the female is involved in the construction of the nest. She incubates the clutch. Nesting takes place below, in last year’s dry, coarsened grass, among tall growth. A marsh, steppe bird or meadow harrier will always choose an open area of terrain for nesting. The nest can be represented by neatly twisted branches with grass or an ordinary depression in the ground. Chick incubation time is 28-38 days. During this time, the female does not leave the nest and strictly guards the area around the home. The male brings food to the female. Seeing a male flying in the distance, the female quickly flies out of the nest and, simulating an air fight, takes food from the beak of the “faithful”. This theatrical performance is necessary for intimidation, so that not a single living creature would want to get closer to the laying site, and subsequently to the hatched chicks.
Marsh Harrier Nest
Lifestyle
The described migratory bird usually arrives at its habitat (nesting) at the end of April. The meadow harrier builds a nest on the ground in a damp meadow or near water. They are also found in reeds.
A clutch of 3-6 white eggs (sometimes with brown spots) occurs at the very beginning of May. The interval between egg laying is from one to four days. The eggs are incubated for about a month. It is noteworthy that at this time the male supplies the female and the emerging chick with food.
Usually the chicks leave the nest around the 35th day, but sometimes this can happen even 10-14 days after hatching. Even in particularly favorable years, the brood does not exceed 4 chicks. Young birds feed on lizards, small rodents, insects and small birds.
Interesting Facts
Harrier, a bird that was used as a basis for comparison in one of the sayings. White as a harrier! This is all thanks to the colorful appearance of the feathered predator. But it's not just about gray hair. If you look closely, you will notice that the appearance of an adult harrier resembles the face of a wise old man. Such a person certainly wears a beard and mustache and has a thoughtful, serious look.
This bird has a namesake. This is a representative of the ocean - the harrier fish. More precisely, the correct name for this fish is “moon,” but in common people it is called the namesake of the bird in question.
Don't take it off!!!
Listen to the voice of the marsh harrier
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Hunting
The meadow harrier is a bird that always hunts in open space, slowly flying around the selected area quite low above the ground. This way she usually hunts small rodents, small birds, lizards and insects.
Often, in order to catch its prey by surprise, the harrier moves in flight along the edges of tall grass. Having noticed its prey, it suddenly and unexpectedly falls down, extending its long claws forward. Moreover, unlike its counterparts (harrier or marsh harrier), this bird can grab its prey not only on the surface of the earth, but also in flight, in the air.
Appearance and features
Photo: What a steppe harrier looks like
It is very easy to distinguish a female steppe harrier from a male if you know all the nuances in the coloration of the birds. A mature male has a light bluish coloration, and its lower part is almost white. The steppe harrier has lighter tones of plumage than its field brother. On the tops of the bird's wings, a wedge-shaped spot is immediately noticeable, which does not cover the flight feathers. The light belly has the same whitish coloring as the head, crop, and neck.
The color of the female is brownish-variegated, the wings and tail are lined with stripes, and in the area of the upper tail there is a narrow crescent-shaped spot of white. The tail has four on top and three wide stripes located transversely on the bottom. Of all these stripes, only one is clearly visible - the apical one. The female's eye is bordered by a dark bracket, over which there is also a light border. From a distance, the female steppe harrier is very similar to the female meadow harrier; it is impossible for the average person to tell them apart.
The young birds have an ocher-red color, the tone of which is lighter compared to young meadow harriers. The front part of the head of the steppe harrier is outlined by a kind of light-colored collar. The bottom of the wings is lined with stripes. The legs of young birds, like those of mature birds, are yellow. The eyes of young animals are dark in color, and with age they become yellow or light brown.
Like all other hawks, the steppe harrier has a hook-shaped black beak. The feathered paws are quite powerful and are dressed in feather trousers from the top to the knees. Compared to other hawks, whose physique is quite dense and stocky, the steppe harrier has a very slender figure. Its distinctive feature is the presence of narrow wings. When the steppe harrier flies high, it somewhat resembles a seagull. The flight of these birds is always energetic and swift, the flapping of their wings is very frequent. During a gliding flight, the angle between the raised bird wings can vary from 90 to 100 degrees.
Population and species status
Photo: What a steppe harrier looks like
Back in the nineteenth century, the steppe harrier was a fairly widespread bird of prey. In the thirties of the last century, it was considered a typical representative of the fauna of the western part of the Caucasus. But closer to 1990, it became very rare, and occasional single encounters with the bird were recorded.
In general, there is no specific data on the number of steppe harriers, both in relation to our country and the entire world. According to some reports, there are only 40 thousand individuals or 20 thousand pairs of steppe harriers left. Of these, about 5 thousand couples live in the vastness of our country, but these data cannot be called accurate.
Interesting fact: The number of steppe harriers varies at different periods of time in different territories, because Birds constantly migrate to places where there are a lot of rodents. Because of this, in these regions there is a misconception that the number of winged predators has become high.
Disappointing data indicate that the harrier population is very vulnerable, there are very few birds left, they are endangered, and as a result, listed in the Red Book. This is due to thoughtless human actions that lead to the destruction of the natural habitats of these noble birds.
People are engaged in mowing meadows, draining wetlands, plowing more and more territories for agricultural land, thereby oppressing steppe harriers, expelling them from their places of permanent deployment, negatively affecting the bird’s way of life. All this leads to the fact that the harrier population is declining; the birds need protection so as not to completely disappear from the face of our planet.
