Hawk Ridge: Minnesota's Birds of Prey

Harriers and Kites

• 33 • Harriers and Kites (Order Accipitriformes, Family Accipitridae) t Hawk Ridge, the rather common hawk with long, narrow but nonpointed wings and a long, narrow tail is the Northern Harrier, which has a light, buoyant flight often described as butterfly-like. The hawk occasionally confused with it is the Mississippi Kite, which has been reported from Hawk Ridge twelve times since 1972. Harriers and kites are not closely related but share superficial characteristics in their overall shape and buoyant flight, at least when the kite is leisurely hawking for insects. Mississippi Kites can also fly with considerable speed, appearing falcon-like. The kite is much smaller than the harrier, with a thirtyfive -inch wingspan compared to the harrier’s fortyfour inches, but size can be hard to determine from a distance unless the bird is near one of known size. The harrier has a bold white rump, the kite an allblack tail. And the kite is far, far less likely to appear at Hawk Ridge. Both the harrier and kite are the only North American representatives of their respective genera. The Northern Harrier belongs to Circus, a word coined by ancient Romans and Greeks to apply to hawks in general after observing that many hawks circle in the sky. Ironically, Linnaeus applied the name to one of the few hawks that virtually never circle. The Mississippi Kite belongs to Ictinia, from a Greek word for kites that may be etymologically related to Icarus. Fortunately , the bird’s wings are not fastened with wax. Harrier numbers tend to fluctuate in cycles of four to five years, probably due to their dependence on voles as a prey species. Throughout the continent, this species has been on the National Audubon Society’s Blue List of declining species and is listed as endangered in Iowa and threatened in Wisconsin. Hawk Ridge counts of harriers have been fairly stable over the past twenty years, but Hawk Ridge numbers reflect the breeding populations west and north of us, away from where harriers are facing the worst problems. Northern Harrier We don’t have enough data from Mississippi Kites to detect any trends at Hawk Ridge; their breeding range is too far south of Minnesota to expect any changes in the foreseeable future. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) Hawk watchers come to Hawk Ridge to see as many hawks as possible, and so they spend much of their time facing east-northeast in search of birds coming toward the main overlook from over Moose Mountain, a ridge running perpendicular to the lake two and a half miles up the shore. Birders also face south to cover the area between the ridge and the lake, watching for birds flying along the shoreline. Experienced birders know that they must also scan inland if they want to spot Northern Harriers, one of the prettiest hawks that fly along the ridge. Adult male harriers have the gray and white body and black wing tip pattern of a gull. That lovely plumage is highlighted by gracefully loose wing strokes and buoyant, tilting glides, which make these “gray ghosts” a truly thrilling sight. Adult females are brown above and pale beneath, heavily streaked with brown. In autumn, the young of the year are a richer brown than adult females, with deep cinnamon faces and wing linings; this color fades by the following spring. All harriers have a large white rump patch, conspicuous from most angles. Northern Harriers are creatures of open country, nesting in marshes and pastures, their populations densest and most successful in undisturbed habitat. They feed heavily on rodents, especially meadow voles, and also take many small and medium-sized birds, reptiles , and frogs. Males have slightly shorter wings and a lighter body, making them more agile and maneuverable in flight than females. This may explain why males catch more birds than females do. While hunting, harriers often glide low over fields and marshes, looking down as they wing through. They are noted for hovering along the lead line of grass fires, darting down to grab animals trying to escape. A group of Minnesota birders on a visit to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas once watched a harrier following a coyote through the marsh. Whenever the coyote flushed a rail or small heron, the harrier would dart at the smaller bird. The group watched for five minutes and saw several attempts but no successful catches. Northern Harriers are unique among raptors in that many of the females join together to...