Status in UK:
(A) Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:cyaneus, hudsonius recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
48 cm
Wingspan:
110 cm
Weight:
M: 350 g F: 500 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: kirkos=a type of hawk
and L.: cyaneus=dark-blue (from Gr.:kuanos)
World Distribution:
BREEDS: Europe, n&c Asia, North America, WINTERS: south to n Africa, s Asia & n South America
Habitat:
Moor, marsh, steppe and fields
Diet:
Mostly, small birds, nestlings and small rodents
TitBit:
The relationship between harrier and grouse and their keepers is a complex and contentious one, but harriers feed mainly on voles and pipits, which prefer grassland, good moor management for heather will exclude both the harrier and its prey.
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends:
No regional trends available
Distribution:
No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
Summer:
646 terr pairs
in 2010
Winter:
750 individuals
in 1981-83
Note: Best estimate
First Record:
1544
Latest Survey:
Holling, M. & RBBP (2011) British Birds 104:476-537
Conservation Status: REDbecause
Historical Population Decline,
Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 RED 1996-2001 RED
Races of Concern:
cyaneus RED (Historical Decline)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
12 to 19 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I,IV), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), CITES(II)
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
46 x 36 mm
Egg Weight:
31.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
50
(more would be welcome!)
Clutch Size:
4 - 5 eggs
4.63 ± 1.07 (2 - 8) N = 370
Incubation:
34 days
33.77 ± 2.42 (29 - 39.5) N = 370
by the:
Female
Fledging:
37 - 42days
38.68 ± 3.96 (31 - 46) N = 578
as:
Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
Other Names
Order:
Accipitriformes
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