The Hen Harrier Is In Danger
The harrier is a bird of prey that is currently in serious danger, especially in Spain. There are three species: the marsh harrier, the white harrier and the ash harrier.
In Europe there is a fourth species of royal harrier: the papialbo. Although this species is very rare in the Iberian Peninsula, climate change could force it to start crossing more into Spain. We know with the ‘ hen harrier and try to understand why it is so dangerous.
What is the royal hen?
These birds of prey are called “little eagles” because they have a noble bearing that stands out for its spectacularity. Aside from their aesthetic appearance, they are very important and necessary birds for our ecosystems.
They lack legs and feathered wings, they are narrower than those of a classic eagle, designed to make flight more agile. With its wings, the harrier flies low to capture the small mammals it feeds on.
Various species of harrier: how to distinguish them
The royal harrier can be easily confused. The marsh harrier is easier to distinguish, since it is the largest and the one with the widest tail.
While the male hen harrier is brown, similar to the common buzzard, the female is unmistakable: she has a light brown head, shoulders and throat that resembles oxide.
The hen harrier and the lesser harrier, however, are more similar. The marsh harrier, on the other hand, stands out for its shades tending to gray.
The white harrier is more robust, more bluish gray and the females are reddish-brown.
However, these birds of prey are the hardest to differentiate, so to get started we recommend that you follow the tips for observing wildlife and distinguish the simpler species first.
Behavior of the royal harrier
One of the main features of the harrier’s biology is the fact that it nests in the ground : unlike other birds of prey that nest on rocks or trees, these three birds of prey use the soil to make their nests.
In the case of the marsh harrier, the nest must be particularly robust, as it can be affected by changes in the water level. For this reason, as the name suggests, they are animals closely linked to swamps and wetlands, threatened by climate change.
In ancient times, these birds had time to leave before the harvest took place. Also, manual methods didn’t have that much impact on these birds. On the contrary, large modern harvesting machines and changes in cultivation patterns are killing them.
The hen harrier is in grave danger
It is important to point out that the harrier is an animal that deals with the control of parasites in a natural way : voles and other rodents can become a real problem for crops, so having real harriers in our fields is useful, especially for the farmers.
In this sense, some organizations collaborate with farmers to help protect them. In the event that the royal harriers migrate before harvesting, there are no problems, but if not, the nest must be protected.
