Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusCircus (Harriers)
- SpeciesCircus cyaneus (Hen Harrier)
The hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey. It breeds in open areas such as marshes and grasslands in Eurasia and is migratory, moving further south outside of the breeding season. Birds in milder regions, such as France and Great Britain, may be resident year-round, but the higher altitudes are largely deserted in winter. The species is sexually dimorphic; males are smaller and mostly grey and white with black wingtips, whereas females average larger and are predominantly brown and have buff underparts with brown barring. Both sexes have a white rump patch, although it is more noticeable on females and juveniles. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Aigüestortes National Park
Western Marsh-Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
Griffon Vulture
Gyps fulvus
Common Buzzard
Buteo buteo
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Bearded Vulture
Gypaetus barbatus
Short-toed Eagle
Circaetus gallicus
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Egyptian Vulture
Neophron percnopterus
Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatus
European Honey-buzzard
Pernis apivorus
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Hen Harrier at Aigüestortes National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there