Field Guide
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Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneus
Not yet photographed by the community
Silver-grey male; ringtail female; declining moorland raptor.
Species Profile
Red List (breeding population in severe decline); legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
- Lifespan
- 12–17 years in the wild, though average is shorter due to persecution
- Size & Weight
- 43–51 cm, wingspan 97–118 cm; males 330–360 g, females 580–680 g
- Habitat
- Open moorland, grassland, heathland, and young conifer plantations where small mammals and birds are abundant.
- UK Distribution
- Historically bred throughout the UK, now confined mainly to upland areas of Scotland, with small breeding populations in England and Wales; winter visitors also arrive from continental Europe.
- Diet
- Small mammals, particularly voles, shrews, and mice, supplemented by small birds such as pipits, larks, and waders.
- Prey
- Short-tailed voles, wood mice, shrews, meadow pipits, skylarks, red grouse chicks, partridges
- Predators
- Golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and ground predators such as foxes and corvids targeting eggs and chicks; persecution by humans remains a significant threat
- Mating Season
- April to July
- Breeding
- Clutch size 4–5 eggs, incubation period 29–30 days, fledging at 35–42 days; typically one brood per year. Males perform distinctive sky-dancing displays.
- Behaviour
- Males perform spectacular aerial displays, rolling and diving with raised wings during courtship. They hunt by quartering low over open ground with characteristic buoyant, gliding flight. Females are larger and more aggressive than males, and may hunt larger prey.
- •Male Hen Harriers are pale grey ('ringtail' females and juveniles are brown), making them highly distinctive in flight
- •The species has experienced catastrophic declines due to persecution on grouse moors, where they are illegally killed to protect game birds
- •Males perform a dramatic 'sky-dance' during courtship, cartwheeling and stalling in mid-air
- •Hen Harriers hunt using a unique low-level quartering technique, gliding just above the ground to surprise prey
- •Only around 15–20 pairs breed in England annually, making it one of the UK's rarest breeding raptors
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