Field harrier - description, habitat, interesting facts

Common harrier is a bird belonging to birds of prey from the order Falconiformes. Active activity is mainly in the daytime. From the congeners, the harrier differs, first of all, in the shape of the body and a rather pleasant coloring of plumage. This bird species is protected and considered rare.

Moon appearance

There are external differences between the male and the female, and the female is most often much larger, reaching a weight of 600 g., In growth she is about 60 cm. In turn, the male can look like a large pigeon (about 400 g.). The plumage of birds has a grayish tint or white, the tail area and head are light. Females are more brown in color, tail feathers are white. The wings are decorated with three dark stripes. Common to all birds is the gray color of the beak and the yellow color of claws and paws.

The body of representatives of this species of birds is slim, wings are long and long. The color of the eyes has a hue from yellowish to brown, they are located close to the beak.

Habitat

Field lunar inhabits the entire Northern Hemisphere, populating both forest-tundra areas and the steppe. In America and Eurasia are present almost universally. Nests are mainly located in open spaces: in the steppe or forest-steppe area, in the tundra.

For habitation, the lun chooses the places where the forest is cut down, there are marshy places, meadows flooded with water, and edges. The nesting site will certainly be located where there will be high thickets of grass (for example, nettles) or bushes. Field harrier prefers to hide from human eyes, can live in the mountains, but not lower than the level of 3 thousand meters.

Features of nutrition and lifestyle

The flight of the moon is squat, at a low altitude. During the flight, the bird tries to find the victim, looks out for it, catches up and catches, using sharp claws. Caught prey is swallowed quickly and completely.

Often, the harrier goes hunting in the daytime or at dusk. In addition to the usual food, the bird does not mind eating carrion. Over the course of a month, on average, the harrier needs 300 units of small living creatures, which indicates its great appetite.

Birds come back from wintering around April, and in May they start mating and breeding. With the beginning of autumn, ordinary harrier begins to fly to warm countries, usually this is the territory of India, Asia or Africa. Individual individuals can remain for the winter, settling in nests in small groups, about 15 pairs at a fairly large distance between themselves. Migration also takes place in a flock.

Breeding season

Females are monogamous individuals, which cannot be said of the male. The latter often manage to become the father of a family with more than three females. In the process of mating games and flirting with her lover, the lun draws various figures during the flight, makes pirouettes, sometimes together with her partner.

The female is also engaged in the construction of the nest, choosing for this a secluded and inconspicuous place in the bushes or on a mound in the swamps.Branches and dried grass are usually used for nesting, the harrier takes care of the habitat, keeps it in order and clean. In clutch there are usually up to 7-8 eggs, which the female needs to incubate.

The parent is feeding the hatched chicks. They are not born at the same time, and only the strongest save their lives. Flying to the nesting place, the father, who brought the prey, emits a loud cry, and then the female takes off to him to pick up the trophy. Alternatively, the harrier can also drop the victim directly to the nest. A month later, the chicks can already fly independently. Departing from the nest, the cubs do not become attached to it, changing their habitat regularly. Field harrier reaches puberty by one year of life.

Bird Rivals

Often young chicks or individuals up to 1-2 years of life become prey of other, larger predators. Columns, a raccoon dog or other animals can attack them. But it is worth pointing out that the common harrier, also being a predator, is quite cunning and intelligent, therefore it can eat almost any living creature that it manages to catch.

Entertaining facts

Field harrier is quite an interesting and characteristic bird, which differs from a number of other relatives.

1. In the process of flying above the surface of the earth, it often holds a small bunch of plants in its claws.
2. Ordinary lunar will never sit for long on tree branches. Also, the bird will not build nests there, their places of residence are located only on the surface of the earth.
3. The shape of the wings resemble the letter V from the Latin alphabet.
4. If a person threatens the moon’s chicks, the brave bird can even attack him, fiercely and tirelessly defending the offspring with all his might.
5. Chicks appear sighted, their plumage is brownish-gray in color. The offspring is developing quite intensively.

In addition, it is worth pointing out that in natural conditions, an individual field moon can live on average up to 11-13 years.

Endangered species

In a number of regions and regions of Russia, representatives of these birds disappear, therefore, the species is listed in the Red Book. The most problematic regions are Moscow, Ulyanovsk and Kaluga regions, Kamchatka, as well as the territory of Tatarstan and Ukraine.

The disappearance of the species is due to people: the habitats of the field moon are less suitable for this, swamps are drained, forests are being cut down. Also not the last reason for the extinction of the species is poaching.

Video: field harrier (Circus cyaneus)