Swamp Harrier

Circus approximans

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Cordats)
ClassAves (Aus)
OrderAccipitriformes
FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
GenusCircus (Harriers)
SpeciesCircus approximans (Swamp Harrier)

Insufficient data

overall probability at Freycinet National Park

4 Verified records at Freycinet National Park

☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The swamp harrier (Circus approximans), also known as the Australasian marsh harrier or Australasian harrier, is a large, slim bird of prey widely distributed across Australasia. In New Zealand, it is also known by the Māori name kāhu. It arrived in New Zealand within the last 700 years, replacing the larger species, the extinct New Zealand endemic Eyles's harrier. The swamp harrier belongs to the subfamily Circinae and genus Circus, which are represented worldwide, except Antarctica. The subfamily and genus are derived from the characteristic behaviour of circling flight during courtship and hawking. Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Freycinet National Park

Haliaeetus leucogaster

20–30% · Possible

LC Endemic

Aquila audax

5–10% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

📊

Fewer than 5 records of Swamp Harrier at Freycinet National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal

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

#	Park	Country	Probability
1	Fiordland National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	30–40%
2	Abel Tasman National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	20–30%
3	Tongariro National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	20–30%
4	Arthur's Pass National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	20–30%
5	Aoraki Mount Cook National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	10–20%
6	Wilsons Promontory National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	5–10%
7	Maria Island National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	5–10%
8	Rakiura National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	5–10%
9	Great Otway National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	5–10%
10	Grampians National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	5–10%
11	Booderee National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
12	Kakadu National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
13	Royal National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
14	Daintree National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
15	Blue Mountains National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	<5%
16	Freycinet National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
17	Ningaloo Marine Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
18	Lorentz National Park	🇮🇩 Indonesia	Insufficient data
19	Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
20	Kosciuszko National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
21	Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data
22	Lamington National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	Insufficient data

← Back to Freycinet National Park