Hen harrier
| Hen harrier | |
|---|---|
| Adult male | |
| An adult female from Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, East Sikkim, India | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Circus |
| Species: | C. cyaneus |
| Binomial name | |
| Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
| Range of C. cyaneus Breeding summer visitor Breeding resident Winter visitor | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Falco cyaneus Linnaeus, 1766 | |
The hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl.
It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Europe and southern temperate Asia. In the mildest regions, such as France and Great Britain, hen harriers may be present all year, but the higher ground is largely deserted in winter.
The northern harrier was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the hen harrier.
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