Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

The northern harrier (Circus hudsonius) is a bird of prey.

It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA. While many taxonomic authorities split the northern harrier and the hen harrier into distinct species, others consider them conspecific.It migrates to more southerly areas in winter with breeding birds in more northerly areas moving to the southernmost USA, Mexico, and Central America. In milder regions in the southern US, they may be present all year, but the higher ground is largely deserted in winter. This bird inhabits prairies, open areas, and marshes.