Birds of Prey. Marsh Harrier - a threat to fresh water bodies Hen Harrier description

Marsh harrier These days it is quite common in Central Europe. He lives in areas covered with reeds, of which there are fewer and fewer.

Row - Birds of Prey
Family - Hawks
Genus/Species - Circus aeruginosus

Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Length: 45-60 cm.
Wingspan: 115-140 cm.
Weight: 500-750 g.

REPRODUCTION
Puberty: from 2-3 years.
Nesting period: usually from April to June.
Number of eggs: 4-5.
Hatching: 32-36 days.
Feeding chicks: 35-40 days.

LIFESTYLE
Habits: With the exception of mating season, they stay alone.
Sounds: during nesting, it produces the cry “kuya”.
Food: waterfowl, rodents, fish, frogs.
Life expectancy: up to 16.5 years.

Related SPECIES
This genus also includes field, meadow, steppe and speckled harriers.
The hunting territory for harrier includes reed thickets. Only during flights can it sometimes be seen over open spaces.
REPRODUCTION
In European populations of marsh harrier, the nesting period begins in early April. During mating, males rush through the air, performing amazing tricks, as if showing off their ability to fly. Before the female begins to lay eggs, a pair of harriers often rises into the air and amuses themselves in the heights, indulging in a variety of games. At the beginning of May, the female begins to build a nest. It is a large, flat building made of reeds, sedges and other marsh plants. Within 2-3 days, the female lays 4-5 light-colored eggs covered with bright ocher spots. Only the female incubates the clutch. The chicks hatch in 32-36 days. Both the female and the male feed them.
LIFESTYLE
Marsh harrier- This is the largest of the European harriers. It is also most common in Central Europe. The plumage of the marsh harrier varies significantly not only depending on sex and age, but also on the time of year.
In the air - This is a very elegant and dexterous bird. Its flight style consists of slow wing beats typical of large birds of prey and short periods of soaring flight. When viewed from the front, the wings of a swamp harrier, soaring, resemble the widely spaced rays of the Latin letter "V". The long tail feathers control the speed and direction of the bird's flight.
The marsh harrier hovers low above the ground, after which, after flapping its wings several times, it rises some distance upward, where it again continues its soaring flight. Now in many areas of Europe it has become a rare bird, since the number of biotopes suitable for its habitation has decreased.
FOOD
The marsh harrier preys on small mammals, mainly mice and voles. He is unpretentious in his choice of food, so he often consumes waterfowl, frogs, gophers, wild rabbits and fish.
During the nesting period the main integral part the diet of this bird becomes small migratory birds. He flies low over the ground or water and carefully examines his area. Seeing the future prey, the harrier rushes at it, grabs it with its long, curved claws and tears it into pieces with its beak.
During a hunt, the harrier often hides in the reeds and also uses other hiding places to get closer to the prey undetected. Thanks to its long legs, the marsh harrier can hunt fish and frogs in the water.
OBSERVATIONS OF LUN
The marsh harrier can be found exclusively in nature reserves, since other biotopes where these birds used to live have already been destroyed or turned into agricultural land by humans. Marsh harriers nest more often on the shores of lakes and near swamps among reed thickets. Occasionally, their nesting sites can be found in fields. Marsh harriers may be found in some areas all year round, and in others they are migratory birds. The marsh harrier usually winters in southern Africa or South Asia.

OR DID YOU KNOW THAT...

Individual p swamp harrier populations They prefer different foods, for example, birds living in Germany usually hunt voles, harriers from Holland catch wild rabbits, and Danish harriers eat coot chicks.
In the 19th century In Great Britain, people hunted marsh harriers, which led to their almost complete extinction. Before the start of the Second World War, only one couple was seen here. By the mid-50s, the bird's fate in the British Isles was uncertain. There are currently 70 nesting pairs registered in England.
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES of the marsh harrier

Appearance: the female, larger than the male, resembles a kite. However, she is slimmer than a kite.
Mask: It goes across both cheeks. The feathers that make up the mask serve, obviously, to direct sounds into the ear openings, this is very important for birds that hunt in the reeds.
Female: Typically has dark brown plumage with cream-colored features on the head and parts of the wings.
Legs: Yellow, with long toes and strong, sharp claws that are used for capturing and holding prey.
Male: The plumage consists of gray, white, brown (in the west) or black (in the east) colors. The back and shoulder feathers are brown. Wings with grayish-blue flight feathers (their ends are dark) and a gray tail.
PLACES OF RESIDENCE
The marsh harrier is found in Great Britain and Portugal east of Japan. It winters in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Sedentary populations live in Western and Southern Europe, North East Africa, in the Middle East, Madagascar and Australia.
SAVE
In Central Europe swamp moon There is a threat of destruction of the habitat - wetlands.

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On average, the body length of a harrier is from 40 to 60 cm. The tail and wings of birds of this genus are long, which helps them fly slowly and silently low above the ground. During such a flight, harriers hunt - they look for lizards, chicks, rodents, and frogs on the surface of the earth. The harrier's legs are also long, which is necessary for the bird to grab prey in the grass. On the sides of the harrier's head there is a facial disc similar to an owl's.

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, gophers,... They rarely feed on carrion.

Bird distribution

The distribution range of harrier species is very wide, including Eurasia, North America, Africa, and Australia. The bird is not found only in polar regions. Prefers to live in open spaces. Some species migrate, but most are sedentary birds.

Common types of harrier

The bird's body length is from 50 to 60 cm, weight is in the range of 500-750 g, wingspan is from 110 to 140 cm. Females are larger than males.

The plumage of adult males is gray, white, brown or black. The crown is brown or black. The wings are silver-gray. The back and shoulders are black or brown. Females have an ocher head with dark spots, a brown back, and a brown belly with an ocher spot on the chest; the wings are grayish or brown, with streaks. Young birds resemble females in appearance. The iris is yellow, the beak and claws are black, the paws are yellow.

The species' habitat includes the temperate zone of Eurasia, northwestern Africa, the island of Madagascar, and Australia. Northern populations are migratory.

The plumage on the back of the male is black, the tail is gray, the wings are also gray with wide black stripes. There are marks on the facial disc white. The abdomen can be either white or black. Females generally resemble males in color, but the black color in their plumage is replaced by brown.

The species is distributed in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Chile, French Guiana. Birds live in open spaces of dry savannas, pastures, water meadows, swamps, and forest clearings.

Females of this species are larger than males, their body length reaches 46 cm, while that of males does not exceed 40 cm. The wingspan is 90-115 cm. The color of the male plumage is dark gray on the back with black tips of the wings, the rump is white. The abdomen is pale gray with brown streaks. Females are brown on top with a white rump; their belly is beige with streaks.

The species is found from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, Chile, and all the way to Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia. The bird is not migratory, but makes small migrations in April and May, from which it returns in early autumn.

The bird's body length is about 47 cm, its wingspan is from 97 to 118 cm. The tail and wings are long. The weight of females is from 390 to 600 g, males are usually smaller in size, their weight is 290-390 g. Sexual dimorphism is also expressed in plumage. The male’s back, throat, crop and “cap” on the head are ash-gray; the tummy, facial disc and rump are white. There is a white spot on the lower back. The dark top and light bottom are clearly separated. A black stripe runs along the rear edge of the wings. The female's back is dark brown with reddish stripes, her belly is light ocher with dark streaks. The underside of the wing has three longitudinal dark stripes. Young birds resemble females in appearance, but they have less streaks and more red in color. The iris is yellow, in young birds it is grayish-brown. Paws are yellow.

The species is distributed in the northern hemisphere from the forest-tundra of the north to the steppe zone of southern Eurasia. In addition to the mainland, the bird is found on the British, Orkney, Hebrides, Shantar Islands, and Sakhalin. The Hen Harrier also lives in North America.

All populations are migratory.

The back of males is light gray with dark shoulders, eyebrows and cheeks are white. The belly is light gray. The wings are gray above with a white border, white below. The rump is light, the tail is gray with a white border. The beak is black, the iris and legs are yellow. Females are brown above with a mottled head, and the tips of their wings are rufous. The forehead, eyebrows and spots under the eyes are white. Cheeks dark brown. The wings are gray. The rump is white. The tail is brown. The undertail is reddish or rufous. The legs are yellow, the iris is brown.

The bird lives in the south of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. For the winter it goes to India and southeast Asia.

The bird's body length is from 43.5 to 52.5 cm, weight is 310-550 g, wingspan is from 105 to 115 cm. Females are larger in size than males. Males have black plumage on the head, back and middle of the wing, part of the wings and rump are white, the belly is light, the throat and breast are black. Females are dark brown on top and have a whitish belly. Young birds are dark brown above, with a buffy-reddish rump and a brownish-red belly. The iris in adults is yellow, in juveniles it is brown. The beak and claws are black, the legs are yellow.

The piebald harrier is common in eastern Asia: in Northern China, Mongolia, and in Russia from Transbaikalia to the Amur region. Migratory species. Spends the winter in southern Asia.

The smallest species of harriers with a body length of 41 to 52 cm, a wingspan of 97 - 120 cm. The weight of males is 227 - 305 g, females are larger and weigh from 319 to 445 g. The plumage of the head, back and wings of the male is ash-gray. . The head, throat and chest are pale gray. The belly and undertail are white with brown spots. The wings are dark above and light below with bright stripes. Transverse stripes are also visible on the tail. The female's back is grayish-brown, her belly is buffy. The species differs from related species by a white spot on the lower back. Young birds are dark brown, similar to females. The beak is black. Rainbow is yellow.

The species is distributed in northeast Africa (Morocco, Algeria) and in Eurasia from the western coast of the Atlantic to the Altai Mountains.

The first sign of sexual dimorphism for the harrier is that females are always larger than males. As for plumage color, differences between the sexes depend on the species. As a rule, males have more contrasting plumage, with a dark top and light bottom, while in females brown tones, red, and mottled predominate.

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.

Harrier's voice

The trills of the harrier resemble a rattling squeal and high-pitched squawk. The male has a more melodic voice, with high, abrupt sounds “chek-ek-ek”, thin whistles “kyuv-kyuv” or “tyuv-tyuv”. The voice of females is duller and monosyllabic. During the mating season, the male makes “laughing” fast sounds “chuk-uk-uk” or vibrating trills “tyur-r”.

An alarmed harrier makes short, squealing trills.

• The plumage of some species of harriers is bluish-ash-gray, and from a distance in flight it appears whitish. A white-headed, gray-haired person is often compared to such a bird, when they say “gray-haired, like a harrier.” In addition, the bird's curved beak and crown of feathers around the cheeks and chin are very reminiscent of a bearded, gray-haired old man. There is also a version that this saying is associated with a change in the color of males during maturation, since young birds turn from brown to “gray-haired”.

The common harrier is a bird belonging to the birds of prey from the order Falconiformes. It is active mainly during the daytime. The harrier differs from its relatives, first of all, in the shape of the body and the rather pleasant colors of the plumage. This bird species is protected and considered rare.

Appearance of a harrier

There are external differences between the male and the female, and the female is most often much larger, reaching a weight of 600 grams, and is about 60 cm tall. In turn, the male can externally resemble a large pigeon (about 400 grams). The plumage of the birds has a grayish tint or white, the tail area and head are light. Females are browner in color and have white tail feathers. The wings are decorated with three dark stripes. Common to all birds is the gray color of the beak and the yellow color of the claws and paws.

The body of representatives of this species of birds is slender, the wings are extended and long. The eye color ranges from yellowish to brown and is located close to the beak.

Habitat

The Hen Harrier lives throughout the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting both forest-tundra areas and steppes. In America and Eurasia they are present almost everywhere. Nesting sites are mainly located in open spaces: in steppe or forest-steppe areas, in the tundra.

For habitat, the harrier chooses places where forests are being cut down, there are swampy places, meadows flooded with water, and forest edges. The nesting site will certainly be located where there are tall thickets of grass (for example, nettles) or bushes. The Hen Harrier prefers to hide from human eyes and can live in the mountains, but not below a level of 3 thousand meters.

Features of nutrition and lifestyle

For food, the common field harrier usually uses small rodents, small lizards, frogs, insect larvae and worms. In addition, the predator can attack other people's nests, eating the chicks. Having caught the prey, the harrier characteristically plays with it: tosses it in the air, catches it again, repeating this several times and accompanied by a specific squealing sound. In addition, this bird can make a squeal.

The flight of the harrier is squat, at low altitude. During the flight, the bird tries to find the prey, looks out for it, catches it and catches it using sharp claws. The caught prey is swallowed quickly and whole.

Often the harrier goes hunting in the daytime or at dusk. In addition to the usual food, the bird is not averse to eating carrion. Over the course of a month, on average, the harrier needs 300 units of small animals, which indicates its enormous appetite.

Birds return from wintering around April, and already in May they begin mating and breeding. With the beginning of autumn, the common harrier begins migrating to warm countries, usually the territory of India, Asia or African countries. Individual individuals can remain for the winter, settling in nesting areas in small groups, about 15 pairs at a fairly large distance from each other. Migration also occurs in flocks.

Breeding period

Females are monogamous individuals, which cannot be said about males. The latter often manages to become the father of a family with more than three females. In the process of mating games and flirting with his beloved, the harrier draws various figures during flight, performs pirouettes, sometimes together with his partner.

The female also builds the nest, choosing for this purpose a secluded and inconspicuous place in the bushes or on a hummock in the swamps. Branches and dried grass are usually used to build a nest; the harrier takes care of the habitat, keeping it tidy and clean. The clutch usually contains up to 7-8 eggs, which the female needs to incubate.

The parent is responsible for feeding the hatched chicks. They are not born at the same time, and only the strongest survive. Flying up to the nesting site, the father who brought the prey emits a loud cry, and then the female flies up to him to pick up the trophy. Alternatively, the harrier can also drop the victim directly to the nest. After a month, the chicks can already fly independently. When leaving the nest, the cubs do not become attached to it, changing their habitat regularly. The Harrier reaches sexual maturity at one year of age.

Bird Rivals

Often, young chicks or individuals up to 1-2 years of age become prey to other, larger predators. They can be attacked by a weasel weasel, a raccoon dog, or other animals. But it is worth pointing out that the common harrier, also being a predator, is quite cunning and intelligent, so it can eat almost any living creature that it manages to catch.

Interesting facts

The Hen Harrier is quite an interesting and characteristic bird, which differs from a number of other relatives.

1. While flying above the surface of the earth, it often holds a small bunch of plants in its claws.
2. The common harrier will never sit for a long time on tree branches. Also, the bird will not build nests there; their places of residence are located only on the surface of the earth.
3. The shape of the wings resembles the letter V from the Latin alphabet.
4. If a person threatens the harrier chicks, then the brave bird may even attack him, fiercely and tirelessly protecting the offspring with all her might.
5. The chicks are born sighted, their plumage is brownish-grayish in color. The offspring develop quite intensively.

In addition, it is worth pointing out that in natural conditions On average, an individual hen harrier can live up to 11-13 years.

Endangered species

In a number of regions of Russia, representatives of these birds are disappearing, so the species is included in the Red Book. The most problematic regions are Moscow, Ulyanovsk and Kaluga regions, Kamchatka, as well as the territory of Tatarstan and Ukraine.

The disappearance of the species is due to people: the habitats of the Hen Harrier are becoming less and less suitable for this, swamps are being drained, forests are being cut down. Poaching is also not the last reason for the extinction of the species.

Video: Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Harrier is a diurnal bird of prey order of Falconiformes. Belongs to the hawk family. The harrier differs from its fellows in body shape and beautiful plumage. They are under guard.

Appearance

The female and the male are different from each other. The female is superior in weight (up to 600 kg) and height (up to 60 cm). The male Hen Harrier resembles a large pigeon (390 g).

The color of the feathers is bluish-white or gray, the rump and head are light. Females are brown with white rump. There are three black stripes on the wing. General:

• grey
• paws and claws are yellow.

The hen harrier bird has a slender body and long wings. The eyes are yellow to brown and are located not on the sides, but closer to the beak. The “face” in profile resembles that of an owl.

Habitat

They inhabit the entire Northern Hemisphere. From forest-tundra to steppes. Completely inhabit Eurasia and America. For nesting they look for open landscapes (steppes, forest-steppes, tundra).

Harriers settle in clearings, forest edges, swamps, and flooded meadows. The presence of tall grass (nettles) or bushes (raspberries) is required. The bird is trying to hide from human eyes. Wanders into the mountains, but not below 3000 m.

Lifestyle, nutrition

The harrier bird feeds mainly on mice, voles and other small rodents (hamsters, etc.). The bird attacks lizards and larvae.

Destroys the nests of other birds and eats the chicks. They play with prey by throwing it in the air and catching it again. Hunting is accompanied by a characteristic squeal. These birds also make a squeal. The Hen Harrier flies close to the ground, looking out for prey and piercing its sharp claws. They swallow the trophy whole.

They like to go out in search of food during the day or at dusk. The bird can taste the carrion. She needs about 300 animals per month, and her appetite is not small.

They arrive in April, mating begins in May, and from September the Hen Harrier migrates to warmer countries (South Asia, Africa, India). Some stay for the winter. They live in groups, about 20 pairs at a decent distance from each other. They also migrate en masse.

Reproduction

Females are monogamous, unlike males. They manage to become fathers of a family of more than 3 individuals. When flirting with the bride, the common hen harrier draws pirouettes in the air, sometimes joined by a partner.

She builds the nest, choosing a quiet place in the thickets or on a swamp hummock. The structure consists of twigs and dry grass and is kept clean. She incubates eggs, and there are from 4 to 8 of them in a clutch, and is also a faithful friend.

Harrier chicks hatch unevenly and survival of the fittest. But the father feeds them, uttering a cry, the female rises into the sky and receives the transmission. Or maybe he just throws the mouse into the nest. In a month, the babies are ready to fly on their own. They are not attached to the nest and can change their abode every year. Cubs become sexually mature at the age of 1 year.

Enemies

Young individuals become victims. They are eaten by raccoon dogs and weasels. The harrier itself is a cunning and dangerous predator, eating everyone it can catch.

1. Maneuvering above the ground, he clutches a bunch of grass in his paw.
2. Harriers never sit in trees for long, much less make nests there, only on the ground.
3. The wings are similar to the Latin V.
4. If there is a threat to the offspring, it can attack a person.
5. The chicks are born sighted, with gray-brown plumage, and develop quickly.

Lifespan

In nature, the Hen Harrier lives up to 12 years.

Red Book

The Harrier is listed in the Red Book in some regions of our country (Ryazan, Moscow, Lipetsk, Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk), in Kamchatka, in the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, Tatarstan and many others.

They disappear due to human fault, due to the draining of swamps, deforestation and poaching. The species is equated to category 2 - endangered.

Circus cyaneus) is a medium-sized bird of prey of the hawk family, common in the northern hemisphere. Prefers open spaces - steppes, sphagnum bogs, overgrown coastal meadows, clearings, shallow lakes with dense vegetation and heather heaths. Listed in the Red Books of a number of regions of Russia.

Description

A medium-sized and lightly built bird of prey - length 46-47 cm, wingspan 97-118 cm. Like other representatives of the genus, it stands out for its long wings and tail, thanks to which it moves slowly and silently low above the ground. Females look noticeably larger than males - their weight is 390-600 g, while the weight of males is 290-390 g. There is also pronounced sexual dimorphism in color. An adult male has an ash-gray upper body, throat, crop and “cap” on the head; the belly, facial disc and rump are white. The white lumbar spot is clearly visible. There is a clear boundary between the dark top and light bottom, which distinguishes the male of this bird from the closely related steppe harrier. The wings are long and relatively narrow, with black tips of the primaries and a dark stripe along the posterior edge. The female harrier is dark brown above with buffy-reddish spots on the coverts, and below is light buffy with dark streaks (drop-shaped on the chest and longitudinal on the belly). Three longitudinal dark stripes are clearly visible on the underside of the wing of females, and three transverse stripes on the undertail. Young birds in the first year of life are similar in appearance to mature females, differing from them in a more reddish shade of the lower part and fewer streaks, especially on the belly, as well as wide red edges of the back feathers. The iris in adult birds is yellow, in young birds it is grayish-brown. The legs are long and yellow.

Vocalization is a rattling two-syllable squeal and a high-pitched, abrupt squawk. The female, while feeding with the male, emits a ringing whistling squeak “piiya”, and in case of anxiety, a sharp rattling squeak “ki-ki-ki...ki-ki-ki...”, becoming increasingly louder at the end. The male's voice is more demonstrative, melodic - a high, abrupt “check-ek-ek-ek...”. During the mating season, the male can make quick “laughing” sounds “chuk-uk-uk-uk”, reminiscent of the cry of a small gull.

There are 2 subspecies of the Hen Harrier. Nominative subspecies C. c. cyaneus(Linnaeus, 1766) lives in Europe and Asia. Subspecies C. c. hudsonius(Linnaeus, 1766), distinguished by darker plumage, breeds in North America.

Spreading

Area

The Hen Harrier nests in the northern hemisphere from forest-tundra in the north to the steppe zone in the south. In Eurasia it is distributed throughout its entire length from west to east. In Scandinavia and on the Kola Peninsula it is found south of 70° N. w. in Norway, 68° N. w. in Sweden, 62° N. w. in Finland and the Murmansk region. In the interval between the White Sea and the Yenisei basin in Western Siberia it occurs south of 67° N. sh., in Eastern Siberia approximately south of 67° N. w. The southern border of the nesting sites runs through the north of the Iberian Peninsula, the southern border of the Alps, the Carpathians, the northern coast of the Black Sea, Crimea, Transcaucasia, the Volga region and the Urals in the region of 52° N. sh., Northern Kazakhstan to the 52nd parallel, Altai, Northern Mongolia, Northeast China and northern Primorye. Outside the mainland it is found in British, Orkney, Hebrides, Shantar and possibly on Sakhalin. In North America it breeds as far north as northern Alaska, northern Saskatchewan, southern Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador; as far south as Baja California, southern Texas, southern Missouri, West Virginia, southeastern Virginia, and North Carolina.

Habitats

Inhabits mainly open landscapes. In the forest zone it is found on the edges, clearings, burnt areas, moss swamps, along the edges of fields, in meadows of river valleys. During the nesting period, the greatest preference is given to small clearings 3-5 years old, densely overgrown with nettles, fireweed and raspberry bushes. Rarely settles near bush thickets. In the north of its range it lives in forest-tundra, in the south in steppe or prairie. In the mountains it is found up to 3200 m above sea level.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity in males and females occurs at the age of one year. Most males are monogamous, although in some cases there are cases of polygyny - one male can serve up to five females per season. Females are monogamous. In the case of migration, the Hen Harrier arrives at the nesting sites in March-May, in central Russia in the first half of April, when the first large thawed patches appear. Hen harriers often nest in loose colonies of 15-20 pairs. With a high population density, the distance between neighboring nests varies within 0.5-2.0 km, in other areas 2-10 km. During the breeding season, the harrier carefully guards its territory, driving away other birds from the nest and even attacking humans.

While courting a female, the male performs acrobatic sketches in the air, flying high into the sky and, spinning, falling down. A small clearing is chosen as a place to build a nest, usually not far from water and at a distance of 10-200 m (less often up to 600 m) from a vast open space - field, meadow, swamp or river valley, where birds get their food. The nest is a relatively flat building with a shallow tray, woven from dry thin twigs and lined with grass stems, which is located directly on the ground, in thickets of tall grass or on water - in the latter case, willow bushes, sedge hummocks or other plant bases sticking out of the water are used origin. The diameter of the nest is usually 500-600 mm, height 250-300 mm, tray diameter 150-200 mm. The construction is mainly done by the female, while the male is engaged in foraging. For roosting, birds use small elevations - stumps, fence posts, etc.

Eggs are laid once a year, in mid-May - early June. The clutch consists of 3-7 (usually 3-5) white eggs with a bluish tint and sometimes with rare brownish-ocher specks. Egg size (40-53) x (32-39) mm. One female incubates almost all the time. However, she may leave the nest to the male for a few minutes. The incubation period is approximately 31-32 days, the hatched chicks are covered with white down with a grayish-ocher tint. During the incubation period and the first time after the chicks hatch, the male is engaged in obtaining food, which he throws into the nest from above, while the female is busy feeding the young. About two weeks after the birth of the offspring, the male leaves the nest, and the female subsequently raises the chicks. At approximately 35 days of age, the chicks leave the nest and then disperse. In Russia, flight chicks can be seen in mid-July. Flight to winter quarters begins already in August, although the bulk departs in September. During migration they fly in a wide front.

Nutrition

It feeds mainly on mouse-like rodents - voles, hamsters, mice; in areas of abundance they can make up up to 95% of the total diet. For example, in many areas of America the main food source is Pennsylvania voles ( Microtus pennsylvanicus) . In addition, they hunt a variety of amphibians, reptiles and insects. They catch hares and shrews ( Sorex), gophers ( Spermophilus) and some birds. Occasionally feeds on carrion. While hunting, they fly low and silently above the ground, looking for prey.

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Literature

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11. "" NatureServe Explorer. Read 2008-04-29
12. del Hojo J., Elliott A., Sargatal J.(Eds.) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Barcelona: LynxEditions, 1994. Vol. 2. Vultures to Guineafowl. ISBN 84-87334-15-6
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An excerpt characterizing the Hen Harrier

Prince Andrei always became especially animated when he had to guide a young man and help him in secular success. Under the pretext of this help to another, which he would never accept for himself out of pride, he was close to the environment that gave success and which attracted him to itself. He very willingly took on Boris and went with him to Prince Dolgorukov.
It was already late in the evening when they entered the Olmut Palace, occupied by the emperors and their entourage.
On this very day there was a military council, which was attended by all members of the Gofkriegsrat and both emperors. At the council, contrary to the opinions of the old men - Kutuzov and Prince Schwarzernberg, it was decided to immediately attack and give a general battle to Bonaparte. The military council had just ended when Prince Andrei, accompanied by Boris, came to the palace to look for Prince Dolgorukov. All the people in the main apartment were still under the spell of today’s military council, victorious for the young party. The voices of the procrastinators, who advised to wait for something without advancing, were so unanimously drowned out and their arguments were refuted by undoubted evidence of the benefits of the offensive, that what was discussed in the council, the future battle and, without a doubt, victory, seemed no longer the future, but the past. All the benefits were on our side. Enormous forces, undoubtedly superior to those of Napoleon, were concentrated in one place; the troops were inspired by the presence of the emperors and were eager to get into action; the strategic point at which it was necessary to operate was known to the smallest detail to the Austrian General Weyrother, who led the troops (it was as if it was a happy accident that the Austrian troops last year were on maneuvers precisely on those fields on which they now had to fight the French); the surrounding area was known to the smallest detail and depicted on maps, and Bonaparte, apparently weakened, did nothing.
Dolgorukov, one of the most ardent supporters of the offensive, had just returned from the council, tired, exhausted, but animated and proud of the victory. Prince Andrei introduced the officer he protected, but Prince Dolgorukov, politely and firmly shaking his hand, said nothing to Boris and, obviously unable to restrain himself from expressing those thoughts that occupied him most at that moment, addressed Prince Andrei in French.
- Well, my dear, what a battle we fought! God only grant that what will be its consequence be equally victorious. However, my dear,” he spoke fragmentarily and animatedly, “I must admit my guilt before the Austrians and especially before Weyrother. What precision, what detail, what knowledge of the area, what anticipation of all possibilities, all conditions, all the smallest details! No, my dear, it is impossible to deliberately invent anything more advantageous than the conditions in which we find ourselves. The combination of Austrian distinctness with Russian courage - what more do you want?
– So the offensive is finally decided? - said Bolkonsky.
“And you know, my dear, it seems to me that Buonaparte has definitely lost his Latin.” You know that a letter to the emperor has just been received from him. – Dolgorukov smiled significantly.
- That's how it is! What is he writing? – asked Bolkonsky.
– What can he write? Tradiridira, etc., all just to gain time. I tell you that it is in our hands; that's right! But what’s funniest of all,” he said, suddenly laughing good-naturedly, “is that they couldn’t figure out how to address the answer to him?” If not the consul, and of course not the emperor, then General Buonaparte, as it seemed to me.
“But there is a difference between not recognizing him as emperor and calling him general Buonaparte,” said Bolkonsky.
“That’s just the point,” Dolgorukov said quickly, laughing and interrupting. – You know Bilibin, he is a very smart person, he suggested addressing: “the usurper and enemy of the human race.”
Dolgorukov laughed cheerfully.
- No more than that? - Bolkonsky noted.
– But still, Bilibin found a serious address title. And a witty and intelligent person.
- How?
“To the head of the French government, au chef du gouverienement francais,” said Prince Dolgorukov seriously and with pleasure. - Isn't that good?
“Okay, but he won’t like it very much,” Bolkonsky noted.
- Oh, very much! My brother knows him: he has dined with him, the current emperor, in Paris more than once and told me that he has never seen a more refined and cunning diplomat: you know, a combination of French dexterity and Italian acting? Do you know his jokes with Count Markov? Only one Count Markov knew how to handle him. Do you know the history of the scarf? This is lovely!
And the talkative Dolgorukov, turning first to Boris and then to Prince Andrei, told how Bonaparte, wanting to test Markov, our envoy, deliberately dropped a handkerchief in front of him and stopped, looking at him, probably expecting a favor from Markov, and how Markov immediately He dropped his handkerchief next to him and picked up his own, without picking up Bonaparte’s handkerchief.
“Charmant,” said Bolkonsky, “but here’s what, prince, I came to you as a petitioner for this young man.” Do you see what?...
But Prince Andrei did not have time to finish when an adjutant entered the room, calling Prince Dolgorukov to the emperor.
- Oh, what a shame! - said Dolgorukov, hastily standing up and shaking the hands of Prince Andrei and Boris. – You know, I am very glad to do everything that depends on me, both for you and for this dear young man. – He once again shook Boris’s hand with an expression of good-natured, sincere and animated frivolity. – But you see... until another time!
Boris was worried about the closeness to the highest power in which he felt at that moment. He recognized himself here in contact with those springs that guided all those enormous movements of the masses of which in his regiment he felt like a small, submissive and insignificant part. They went out into the corridor following Prince Dolgorukov and met coming out (from the door of the sovereign’s room into which Dolgorukov entered) a short man in civilian dress, with an intelligent face and a sharp line of his jaw set forward, which, without spoiling him, gave him a special liveliness and resourcefulness of expression. This short man nodded as if he were his own, Dolgoruky, and began to peer intently with a cold gaze at Prince Andrei, walking straight towards him and apparently waiting for Prince Andrei to bow to him or give way. Prince Andrei did neither one nor the other; anger was expressed in his face, and the young man, turning away, walked along the side of the corridor.
- Who is this? – asked Boris.
- This is one of the most wonderful, but most unpleasant people to me. This is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Adam Czartoryski.
“These are the people,” Bolkonsky said with a sigh that he could not suppress as they left the palace, “these are the people who decide the destinies of nations.”
The next day the troops set out on a campaign, and Boris did not have time to visit either Bolkonsky or Dolgorukov until the Battle of Austerlitz and remained for a while in the Izmailovsky regiment.

At dawn on the 16th, Denisov's squadron, in which Nikolai Rostov served, and which was in the detachment of Prince Bagration, moved from an overnight stop into action, as they said, and, having passed about a mile behind the other columns, was stopped on the high road. Rostov saw the Cossacks, the 1st and 2nd squadrons of hussars, infantry battalions with artillery pass by, and generals Bagration and Dolgorukov with their adjutants passed by. All the fear that he, as before, felt before the case; all the internal struggle through which he overcame this fear; all his dreams of how he would distinguish himself in this matter like a hussar were in vain. Their squadron was left in reserve, and Nikolai Rostov spent that day bored and sad. At 9 o'clock in the morning, he heard gunfire ahead of him, shouts of hurray, saw the wounded being brought back (there were few of them) and, finally, saw how a whole detachment of French cavalrymen was led through in the middle of hundreds of Cossacks. Obviously, the matter was over, and the matter was obviously small, but happy. Soldiers and officers passing back talked about the brilliant victory, about the occupation of the city of Wischau and the capture of an entire French squadron. The day was clear, sunny, after a strong night frost, and the cheerful shine of the autumn day coincided with the news of the victory, which was conveyed not only by the stories of those who took part in it, but also by the joyful expression on the faces of soldiers, officers, generals and adjutants traveling to and from Rostov . The heart of Nikolai ached all the more painfully, as he had in vain suffered all the fear that preceded the battle, and spent that joyful day in inaction.
- Rostov, come here, let's drink out of grief! - Denisov shouted, sitting down on the edge of the road in front of a flask and a snack.
The officers gathered in a circle, eating and talking, near Denisov's cellar.
- Here's another one being brought! - said one of the officers, pointing to the French captured dragoon, which was being led on foot by two Cossacks.
One of them was leading a tall and beautiful French horse taken from a prisoner.
- Sell the horse! - Denisov shouted to the Cossack.
- If you please, your honor...
The officers stood up and surrounded the Cossacks and the captured Frenchman. The French dragoon was a young fellow, an Alsatian, who spoke French with a German accent. He was choking with excitement, his face was red, and, hearing the French language, he quickly spoke to the officers, addressing first one and then the other. He said that they would not have taken him; that it was not his fault that he was taken, but that le caporal was to blame, who sent him to seize the blankets, that he told him that the Russians were already there. And to every word he added: mais qu"on ne fasse pas de mal a mon petit cheval [But do not offend my horse] and caressed his horse. It was clear that he did not understand well where he was. He then apologized, that he was taken, then, putting his superiors before him, he showed his soldierly service and care for his service. He brought with him to our rearguard in all its freshness the atmosphere of the French army, which was so alien to us.
The Cossacks gave the horse for two chervonets, and Rostov, now the richest of the officers, having received the money, bought it.
“Mais qu"on ne fasse pas de mal a mon petit cheval,” the Alsatian said good-naturedly to Rostov when the horse was handed over to the hussar.
Rostov, smiling, reassured the dragoon and gave him money.
- Hello! Hello! - said the Cossack, touching the prisoner’s hand so that he would move on.
- Sovereign! Sovereign! - suddenly it was heard between the hussars.
Everything ran and hurried, and Rostov saw several horsemen with white plumes on their hats approaching from behind along the road. In one minute everyone was in place and waiting. Rostov did not remember and did not feel how he reached his place and got on his horse. Instantly his regret about not participating in the matter passed, his everyday mood in the circle of people looking closely at him, instantly any thought about himself disappeared: he was completely absorbed in the feeling of happiness that comes from the proximity of the sovereign. He felt rewarded by this proximity alone for the loss of that day. He was happy, like a lover who had waited for the expected date. Not daring to look at the front and not looking back, he felt with an enthusiastic instinct its approach. And he felt this not just from the sound of the hooves of the horses of the approaching cavalcade, but he felt it because, as he approached, everything around him became brighter, more joyful and more significant and festive. This sun moved closer and closer for Rostov, spreading rays of gentle and majestic light around itself, and now he already feels captured by these rays, he hears its voice - this gentle, calm, majestic and at the same time so simple voice. As it should have been according to Rostov’s feelings, dead silence fell, and in this silence the sounds of the sovereign’s voice were heard.
– Les huzards de Pavlograd? [Pavlograd hussars?] - he said questioningly.