Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier: Large hawk with gray upperparts, distinct white rump, and white underparts with spotted breast. Hooked bill is dark, yellow at base. Eyes are yellow. Wings are long, gray above, and white below with black tips. Legs, feet are yellow. Alternates several deep wing beats with glides.
● Song:
"kek, kek, kek", "keee, keee, keee"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Northern Harrier: Eats mostly mice, but also takes insects and small reptiles. Glides close to ground when hunting, diving down quickly to capture prey.
● Breeding & nesting:
Northern Harrier: Three to nine pale blue eggs, sometimes spotted with brown, are laid in a ground nest made of sticks and lined with grass, usually built on a raised mound of dirt or a clump of vegetation; often nests in loose colonies of 15 to 20 pairs. Incubation ranges from 31 to 32 days and is carried out by the female.
● Similar species:
Northern Harrier: Rough-legged Hawk has broader wings and black subterminal tail band.