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Northern Harrier


Circus cyaneus

Discription:

  • A northern Harrier is a bird of prey. harrrier2female.jpg
  • The bird tends to live in wetlands or wide open areas.
  • The birds are 16.5 inches from beak to tail, and have a wing span of 42 inches.
  • The males are a grey color with a lighter underside and a darker grey head.
  • The females are a little larger than the males and are a dark brown with several other distinct markings on their underside and tail feathers.
  • Both males and females have an owl shaped head, with a sharp beak for ripping the meat off of their prey, and sharp talonsharriercatch.jpg
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Niche harrier4chick.jpg

Predator

Level on List

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Why is this species on the list?


Due to human over usage of the land, the birds have been displaced due to the loss of its habitat in pennsylvania.
farming
Housing Developments
Deforestation

Recover Plan

Pensylvania is securing protected wetlands and grasslands in pennsylvania