Rosemary explains how to distinguish a Northern Harrier (aka Marsh Hawk) from other raptors in the sky.
The Northern Harrier, searching for food. (Courtesy Lauren Darcey/perlgurl.org, all rights reserved)
People often ask how we come up with ideas for Something Wild. Well, some folks send us questions (which is always welcome). And sometimes, I’m driving somewhere and see something that inspires an idea. Like today: I saw a northern harrier – a type of hawk that is really pretty cool.
Plus, it’s such a distinctive bird, that I figured, with a little help, anyone could identify one. For example, harriers are often called “marsh hawks,” since they are almost always seen flying around salt marshes or wetlands. It’s also rather large with a long tail and wings and, most importantly, a white rump patch. The harrier is the only hawk with this feature. Others have white bars or edges on the undersides, but no other raptor has that big bright mark at the base of its tail.
It’s so nice when birds make it easy to figure out what they are, especially hawks.
Another distinctive trait is that harriers hunt by flying low over the ground. Other hawks tend to use the soaring method or “perch and pounce” technique. The only other birds that hunt this way are owls, and they’re usually only out at night. Also like owls, harriers hunt by listening for the rodents, small birds, and reptiles they prey upon. That gives them another identification mark: an owl-like face. The stiff feathers and flattish features help both types of birds funnel sound to their ears more effectively.
There’s lots of other cool facts about these birds. But the coolest thing of all, of course, now that you know how to identify one, would be seeing a marsh hawk for yourself. So go — get outside already!
