Hen harrier

Short Description

Hen harriers are medium-sized, relatively slender, light birds of prey. The iris is yellow. They swing through the air at low altitude.

The males are smaller than the females and weigh less than a wood pigeon. They are mostly blue-grey. The tips of the wings are black and sharply defined. The undersides of the rump, the belly and part of the wings are white. The iris of the young males is grey and turns yellow by autumn.

The females are clearly larger and heavier. They are mostly medium brown and partly black banded. They have a dark eye stripe and a distinct facial veil, which is narrowly whitish towards the neck. The iris of the young females is dark brown. In the 4th or 5th year it is amber and from the 7th year bright yellow.

The young are dark brown. The underside is beige brown.

In the city

Hen harriers are extremely rare in Germany and are almost only found on the Frisian Islands. They often hunt in meadows and fields and breed in moors, dunes, heaths and forest clearings.