Harrier (bird)
Harrier (bird)
- Harriers are birds of prey in the genus Circus, within the hawk family (Accipitridae). They hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or other birds.
- They have long wings and a long, narrow tail, and they glide slowly over grasslands.
- Juveniles and some females are often called ring-tails. Ring-tail is an informal term used for several harrier species’ young or female birds.
- Harriers probably evolved when grasslands spread about 6–8 million years ago, during the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene.
- The genus Circus was named by French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. The type species is the western marsh harrier.
- The name Circus comes from an Ancient Greek word for a long-legged bird; the origin of the word harrier is less certain.
- Genetic studies have reshaped classification: Circus is within the subfamily Accipitrinae, and related harrier-hawks in the genus Polyboroides form their own subfamily Polyboroidinae.
- The ring-tail term is used for juveniles and females of several harrier species, including Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus), hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), and pallid harrier (Circus macrourus).
- The genus Circus contains 16 species.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 01:05 (CET).