- Comments:
No other Kansas hawk hunts with the low-level, buoyant, darting flight
characteristic of the northern harrier. However, its flight is similar to the flight
pattern of the short-eared owl. Both can be found hunting open grasslands and marshes. The
harrier is the only hawk with an owl-like facial disk. This dish-shaped face probably
assists the birds in hearing small mammals rustling through the grass. Male and female
northern harriers differ greatly. The males are mostly pale gray with a white rump and the
females, approximately 50 percent larger, are mostly brown with a white rump.
- Distribution:
They are found in all of North America except the most northern parts of Canada and
Alaska. Northern harriers are commonly found in Kansas throughout the winter months and
occasionally remain through the summer to nest, on the ground, in fields, grasslands or
marshes.
- Food:
Northern harriers usually feed on small to medium-sized mammals found in open
vegetation. They will also capture ground-nesting birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and
grasshoppers.
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