Day 40: Northern Harrier

The Northern Harrier is a bird of prey that can be found throughout most of North America. It breeds in Canada and Eurasia and migrates farther south in the winter. It can be found in Maryland year-round.

Males and females have distinct plumage differences, which I actually did not realize until doing some research!

Evidently, male Northern Harriers are mainly grey above and white below except for the upper breast, which is grey like the upperparts, and the rump, which is white. Females are brown above and their underparts are buff streaked with brown.

Northern Harriers hunt small mammals and birds, and unlike other hawks, they frequently rely on auditory cues, as well as visual ones, to capture prey.