Northern Harrier

Circus cyaneus

It probably won’t be long before northern harriers ride a cold front to Kansas. The birds with the 43-inch-wingspan are one of our most commonly seen hawks through the fall and winter. Prairies are their favored habitat, so we have some of the highest winter harrier populations in the nation.

Harriers hunt low to the ground, often seeming to just hang above the grasslands where they hunt for mice, other small rodents and occasionally small birds. Small beaks and talons prevent them from doing much damage to rabbits, pheasants and the like. They use keen eyes and acute hearing to locate their prey.

Mother Nature makes it easy to distinguish between the two genders. Female northern harriers are darkish brown on their backs. Males are noticeably smaller and carry gray coloration across the tops of their bodies. Both genders have tell-tale white bands across the tops of their rumps.

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Northern Harrier."