Hen Harrier

Circus cyaneus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
GenusCircus (Harriers)
SpeciesCircus cyaneus (Hen Harrier)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Ecrins National Park

1 Verified sightings at Ecrins National Park From 2019 to 2026

18,357 Verified sightings across all 104 parks From 2019 to 2026

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

About the 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. The northern harrier (Circus hudsonius) was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the hen harrier. In 1758 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the hen harrier in the first volume of his Gleanings of Natural History. He used the English name "The blue hawk". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a bird that had been shot near London. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Ecrins National Park

Circus pygargus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Circus aeruginosus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Gyps fulvus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

LC Endemic

Buteo buteo

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

LC Endemic

Aquila chrysaetos

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Circaetus gallicus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Pernis apivorus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Milvus migrans

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Accipiter nisus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Gypaetus barbatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Milvus milvus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Aegypius monachus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

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	Daily sighting probability
1	Wood Buffalo National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
2	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
3	Katmai National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
4	Gates of the Arctic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
5	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
6	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~20%
7	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
8	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~20%
9	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
10	Kluane National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
11	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~10%
12	Badlands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
13	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~10%
14	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
15	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
16	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	~10%
17	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
18	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
19	Denali National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
20	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
21	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~10%
22	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
23	Manas National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
24	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
25	Kaziranga National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
26	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
27	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~10%
28	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
29	Jasper National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
30	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
31	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
32	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	<5%
33	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
34	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
35	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
36	Chitwan National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	<5%
37	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
38	Namdapha National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
39	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
40	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
41	Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
42	Jaragua National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	<5%
43	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
44	Guadalupe Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
45	Isle Royale National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
46	Pyrénées National Park	🇫🇷 France	<5%
47	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
48	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	<5%
49	Cévennes National Park	🇫🇷 France	<5%
50	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
51	Grand Canyon National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
52	Langtang National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	<5%
53	Cairngorms National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	<5%
54	Royal Manas National Park	🇧🇹 Bhutan	<5%
55	Monfragüe National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
56	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
57	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
58	Zion National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
59	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
60	Rocky Mountain National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
61	Jim Corbett National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
62	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
63	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
64	Congaree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
65	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
66	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
67	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
68	Bavarian Forest National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	<5%
69	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	<5%
70	Sierra de Guadarrama National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
71	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
72	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
73	Tatra National Park	🇸🇰 Slovakia	Insufficient data
74	Keoladeo National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
75	Nahanni National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	Insufficient data
76	Ranthambore National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
77	Mercantour National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
78	Ecrins National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
79	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
80	Voyageurs National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
81	Cabo Pulmo National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
82	Nikko National Park	🇯🇵 Japan	Insufficient data
83	Royal Bardia National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	Insufficient data
84	Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
85	Khangchendzonga National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
86	Gauja National Park	🇱🇻 Latvia	Insufficient data
87	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	Insufficient data
88	Triglav National Park	🇸🇮 Slovenia	Insufficient data
89	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
90	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
91	Aigüestortes National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	Insufficient data
92	Taroko National Park	🇹🇼 Taiwan	Insufficient data
93	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
94	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	Insufficient data
95	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
96	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
97	Picos de Europa National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	Insufficient data
98	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
99	Volcán Barú National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
100	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
101	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
102	Sierra Nevada National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	Insufficient data
103	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
104	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data

← Back to Ecrins National Park

Hen Harrier

About the Hen Harrier

Closest Relatives at Ecrins National Park

Montagu's Harrier

Western Marsh-Harrier

Griffon Vulture

Common Buzzard

Golden Eagle

Short-toed Eagle

European Honey-buzzard

Black Kite

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Bearded Vulture

Red Kite

Cinereous Vulture

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found