What am I?
The hen harrier has been severely persecuted for taking game species and has suffered massive declines in numbers as a result.
Hen harrier
Hen harrier
How to spot them
While males are a pale grey colour, females and immatures are brown with a white rump and a long, barred tail which give them the name ‘ringtail’. They fly with wings held in a shallow ‘V’, gliding low in search of food.
Where to see them
Hen harrier’s over-wintering habitat is lowland farmland, heathland and coastal marshes.
Conservation status
The hen harrier is red listed in the UK. (Opens in a new window)
Did you know?
Female hen harriers are known as ‘ringtails’ due to their distinctive tail banding. Both females and males attend the young; the males provide food, which is often passed, mid-air to the female in a spectacular display of ‘throw and catch’.