Hen Harriers

Hen Harriers silhouettes 

The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a graceful, slender raptor of open moorland and marsh, recognised by its distinctive buoyant flight with wings held in a shallow 'V' and a prominent white rump visible in all plumages. Males are a beautiful pale blue‑grey with black wingtips, while females and juveniles are larger, dark chocolate‑brown and often called 'ringtails' after their distinctly banded tail — the sexes are so different they were once thought to be separate species. They have an owl‑like facial disc that helps funnel sound, allowing them to locate voles and small birds such as meadow pipits by ear as they quarter low over the ground. Males perform a spectacular 'skydancing' display in spring, soaring high then plunging and somersaulting while clapping their wings. They nest on the ground among heather, and in winter move to coastal marshes and farmland where they roost communally. Once hunted to extinction on mainland Britain by 1900, they returned naturally but remain Red‑listed and legally protected as a Schedule 1 species, with illegal persecution on grouse moors still the primary barrier to their full recovery.