Northern Harrier

December 31 2020. Hamilton County Ohio.

This was the first time I saw a Northern Harrier. She was hunting the grassy, shrubby fields between small bodies of water. Females show more brown colors than the males, who have greyer plumage.

According to Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, they are listed as Endangered in Ohio. Endangered means “a native species or subspecies threatened with extirpation (disappearance) from the state. The danger may result from one or more causes, such as habitat loss, pollution, predation, interspecific competition, or disease.” From the Ohio DNR website.

Federally they are not listed as a conservation concern, though Audubon’s website indicates that they are disappearing from their southern North American range.