Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusCircus (Harriers)
- SpeciesCircus cyaneus (Hen Harrier)
The hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey. It breeds in open areas such as marshes and grasslands in Eurasia and is migratory, moving further south outside of the breeding season. Birds in milder regions, such as France and Great Britain, may be resident year-round, but the higher altitudes are largely deserted in winter. The species is sexually dimorphic; males are smaller and mostly grey and white with black wingtips, whereas females average larger and are predominantly brown and have buff underparts with brown barring. Both sexes have a white rump patch, although it is more noticeable on females and juveniles. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Hen Harrier sighting in Chitwan National Park, based on 44 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Chitwan National Park
Western Marsh-Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
Pied Harrier
Circus melanoleucos
Pale Harrier
Circus macrourus
Crested Serpent Eagle
Spilornis cheela
Oriental Honey-buzzard
Pernis ptilorhynchus
Gray-headed Fish-Eagle
Icthyophaga ichthyaetus
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Crested Hawk-Eagle
Nisaetus cirrhatus
Indian White-rumped Vulture
Gyps bengalensis
Himalayan Vulture
Gyps himalayensis
Red-headed Vulture
Sarcogyps calvus
Black-winged Kite
Elanus caeruleus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Hen Harrier in Chitwan National Park?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Hen Harrier sighting in Chitwan National Park, based on 44 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Hen Harrier in Chitwan National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Hen Harrier in Chitwan National Park in our monthly data.