Harriers are hawks that look, act like an owl
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A large bird flying low over a field as it hunts could be any number of birds. It could be a hawk. It could be an owl. Or it could be a hawk that looks and acts a little like an owl.
Northern harriers are hawks, but they share a few traits with owls despite not being closely related to them. A harrier's face has a round disk shape just like an owl's. They also hear exceptionally well and can hunt in low light conditions like many owls do.
In flight, northern harriers are easy to identify. Look for them flying low over grasslands and marshes, holding their wings in a V shape. They have a bold white patch just above their tails that is also a key identification feature.
Male harriers are gray on their backs and wings and nearly white on their bellies. They have black wingtips. Females are mostly brown above with lighter colored bellies.
Hunting on the move
Northern harriers have a different hunting style than most other raptors, which typically perch high above and scan below for prey. Harriers hunt in flight, sometimes flying as low as 10 feet above the ground while looking for a meal.
Words to know
Cavity: An empty space in a solid object.
Fledge: To develop wing feathers strong enough for flight.
Incubate: To sit on eggs to bring them to hatching.
Trait: A distinguishing quality or characteristic.
They use both their vision and hearing as they look for a meal. It's thought that their owl-like, disk-shaped face can help them hear their prey better as they fly overhead.
Like many other hawks, they mostly hunt small mammals like mice, shrews and rabbits. They will also eat reptiles, amphibians, songbirds and sometimes even ducks. In the winter, harriers sometimes eat meadow voles almost exclusively.
Where to look for them
Harriers are migratory, but they can be found in Illinois year-round. A small number of harriers nest in Illinois, and there are also some birds that spend their winters here. Other harriers will spend their winters as far south as Central America and South America. During breeding season, they can be found throughout the northern United States and much of Canada.
When you picture a raptor's nest, you might think of a large nest high up in a tree or maybe tucked into a cavity in a tree trunk. However, northern harriers nest on the ground. They will typically choose a spot surrounded by grasses, cattails, sedges or reeds. The male and female both build the nest, but the female takes the lead on arranging the nesting materials.
Males often mate with more than one female a year. Females will typically lay four or five eggs and incubate them for about five weeks. During this time, the male will hunt for and bring her food.
The eggs will hatch over a couple of days, and the oldest hatchlings are most likely to survive. They will stay in the nest for about two weeks before beginning to fledge. Because they nest on the ground, harrier eggs and hatchlings are hunted by foxes, skunks, raccoons and even crows.
Northern harriers are considered a species of low conservation concern, but their population has been declining over the past several decades, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology reports. In addition, they were included in the birds that saw sharp declines because of the use of the pesticide DDT.
Although DDT was outlawed in the 1970s, northern harriers remain susceptible to pesticides. Habitat loss has also contributed to their population decline.
