Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus, 1766)

Northern Harrier, Circus hudsonius, is a bird of prey that breeds widely across North America and Middle America, and moves as far as South America outside the breeding season. It is a harrier of open country, using prairies, marshes and other open habitats. The species is long-winged and long-tailed, with the longest wings and tail in relation to body size of any raptor in North America. It was described by Linnaeus in 1766 and is placed in the family Accipitridae.

Order

Accipitriformes

Family

Accipitridae — Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Breeding range

North America, Middle America: widespread

Nonbreeding range

to South America