Circus Western marsh harrier Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae Subfamily: Accipitrinae Genus: CircusLacépède, 1799 Type species Falco aeruginosus Species
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A harrier is a member of the genus Circus in Accipitridae, a family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds. The young of the species are sometimes referred to as ring-tail harriers. They are distinctive with long wings, a long narrow tail, the slow and low flight over grasslands and skull peculiarities. The harriers are thought to have diversified with the expansion of grasslands and the emergence of C4 grasses about 6 to 8 million years ago during the Late Miocene and Pliocene.[1]
The genus Circus was introduced by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799.[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the western marsh harrier.[3][4] Most harriers are placed in this genus. The word Circus comes from the Ancient Greek κρέξ (kréx) referring to a long legged bird, and is possibly ultimately derived from an onomatopoeia.[5] The name harrier is thought to have been derived either from Harrier (dog), or by a corruption of harrower, or directly from harry.[6]
The genera Circus has in the past been placed in the subfamily Circinae but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that this grouping is polyphyletic, nested within the Accipitrinae.[7][8] The harrier-hawks in the genus Polyboroides are not closely related and are placed in their own subfamily Polyboroidinae[8]
Ring-tail is an informal term used by birders for the juveniles and females of several harrier species when seen in the field and not identifiable to an exact species.[9] Ring-tail harriers include the juveniles and females of Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus), hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), and pallid harrier (Circus macrourus).
The genus contains 16 species:[10]
Genus Circus – Lacépède, 1799 – sixteen species Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population Montagu’s harrier Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasia, winters in Africa and India Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Hen harrier Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) Eurasia Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Northern harrier Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus, 1766) North America[11] Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Western marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus (Linnaeus, 1758) Europe, western Asia; winter range includes Africa and India. Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Eastern marsh harrier Circus spilonotus Kaup, 1847 Asia (migratory) Size: Habitat: Diet: LC African marsh harrier Circus ranivorus (Daudin, 1800) southern and central Africa Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Swamp harrier Circus approximans Peale, 1849 New Zealand, Australia, Pacific islands Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Papuan harrier Circus spilothorax Salvadori & D’Albertis, 1875 New Guinea Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Malagasy harrier Circus macrosceles Newton, 1863 Indian Ocean (Madagascar and the Comoro Islands) Size: Habitat: Diet: EN Réunion harrier Circus maillardi J. Verreaux, 1862 (Indian Ocean) Réunion Island Size: Habitat: Diet: EN Long-winged harrier Circus buffoni (Gmelin, JF, 1788) South America Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Spotted harrier Circus assimilis Jardine & Selby, 1828 Australia, Indonesia Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Black harrier Circus maurus (Temminck, 1828) southern Africa Size: Habitat: Diet: EN Cinereous harrier Circus cinereus Vieillot, 1816 South America Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Pallid harrier Circus macrourus (S. G. Gmelin, 1770) migratory: eastern Europe, Asia, Africa (winter) Size: Habitat: Diet: LC Pied harrier Circus melanoleucos (Pennant, 1769) Asia Size: Habitat: Diet: LC
- † Eyles’s harrier, Circus teauteensis (prehistoric)
- † Wood harrier, Circus dossenus (prehistoric)
- Harrier videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Harrier videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Newton, Alfred (1911). “Harrier” . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). p. 17.