Species group · Birds
Harriers
WAnimals has 3 species of harrier, all in the family Accipitridae.
- 3 species
- 1 family
- 62 countries
- 172 parks
- Weight
- 261 g – 1.1 kg
- Length
- 40 cm – 62 cm
- Lifespan
- 6 – 16 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.
All 3 species of harriers on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 62 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
- Camargue3 species
- Parque Nacional de Hortobágy3 species
- Tablas de Daimiel3 species
- Aiako Harria2 species
- Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici2 species
- Aizkorri-Aratz2 species
- Albufera de Valencia2 species
- Alto Veluwe (Hoge Veluwe)2 species
- Aralar2 species
- Armañón2 species
- Arrábida2 species
- Bardenas Reales2 species
Did you know…
The males perform a roller-coaster display flight of zigzagging dives.
From Hen Harrier
It has exceptional hearing for a diurnal raptor, thanks to a facial disc like an owl's that lets it locate prey hidden in the grass.
From Hen Harrier
Because it nests on the ground in crops, mechanised cereal harvesting kills unfledged chicks every year; in Catalonia its conservation has depended on locating the nests and leaving the area around them uncut.
From Hen Harrier
It hunts in slow, low flight over the vegetation, taking small mammals, waterbirds, amphibians and fish.
It lives in marshes, wetlands and reedbeds of Europe, western Asia and North Africa.
The female is noticeably heavier than the male.
It nests on the ground among the wheat, so the harvest destroys many nests.
From Montagu's Harrier
It nests directly on the ground in cereal fields, which leaves its nests extremely vulnerable to farm machinery at harvest.
From Montagu's Harrier