This page contains 70 images of Northern Harriers, American Kestrels and Prairie Merlins.
The Northern Harrier, or Marsh Hawk, has a distinctive owl-like facial disc which transmits the
sound of foraging rodents and other prey to its ears, allowing it to hunt by sound as well as sight.
Prairie Merlins are small, robustly-built falcons. American Kestrels are the smallest of the falcons.

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Eagles, Hawks, Harriers and Owls, Falcons, Kites and Osprey.

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Northern Harrier 2485

An adult female Northern Harrier in flight over Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.
Note the distinctive, owl-like facial disc which transmits sound to the Harrier’s ears.
The flat facial disc is formed from stiffened feathers which amplify and direct sound.

Northern Harrier 2592

Northern Harrier 2626

A Juvenile Harrier shows both sides of its wings in this pair of images taken at
great distance with an 850mm lens at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, NM.

One of few raptors in which the sexes look very different, males are white below and gray above,
females are rusty buff with brown streaks below and brown above with white at the base of the tail.
The rusty buff color on the underside of females lightens to an off-white as the weather gets warmer.
Juveniles look like the females but with rust-orange below, dark brown wings and a very dark head.

They primarily hunt for small rodents (squirrels, mice and rats). Males sometimes take small birds.
Harriers use both their eyes and ears to find prey, and they have very good hearing, enhanced by
the stiff feathers of their face forming an owl-like facial disc which transmits sound. Harriers have
also been known to take ducks and rabbits, which they then drown by holding them underwater.

Northern Harrier Takeoff X3752-53 XL

A 2005 x 890 version of the XL Composite image (4005 x 1725)
showing a Juvenile Harrier taking off to hunt at Bosque del Apache.

Northern Harrier Falcon Glide 2630-31

A Juvenile Northern Harrier in a steep glide with wings in a Falcon-like position to reduce drag
(taken at great distance with an 850mm lens at the beginning of a shallow but Falcon-like dive).

Northern Harriers typically hunt in a low, slow flight pattern, using their sharp vision and hearing
aided by an Owl-like facial disc to take a variety of prey. Mice, squirrels and other small mammals,
small birds, reptiles, amphibians, and occasionally larger mammals and birds are on the menu.
Holding their wings in a shallow V, Harriers fly nap of the earth, circling an area several times.
Soft feathers help them fly silently to surprise their prey as they glide overhead and pounce.

Northern Harrier 4134

Northern Harrier 4129

A female Northern Harrier gliding low over a field next to the marsh at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

All of the Harriers below are females, with gray, barred under-wings, black wingtips and streaked breast.
Upper wings are dark brown and the tail is banded with light and dark bars, with a white stripe at the base.

Northern Harrier 4131

A female Northern Harrier glides past the marsh in the Farm Loop at Bosque del Apache.

Northern Harriers prefer breeding and hunting on open fields and marshlands.

Northern Harrier 4136

A female Harrier remains intent on the field below as she banks to show her barred underwing detail.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
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Northern Harrier X9088

An exceptionally large adult female Northern Harrier over Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.
Females are significantly larger than males, with large females 2-2.5 times the size of small males.
The largest male Northern Harriers are about the same size as the smallest females (about 400 grams).

Harrier Hunting 2466

A female Harrier glides with her wings in a V-configuration while hunting over a field at Bosque del Apache.

Harrier Departing 2468

Harrier Departing 2469

The female Harrier has a white stripe at the base of its long, wedge-shaped barred tail.
This distinctive white rump is often the first thing seen allowing identification at a distance.

Harrier Departing X3350

A female Northern Harrier just after takeoff, displaying the distinctive white stripe at the base of the tail.

Northern Harrier Pounce X8984 M

A female Northern Harrier pounces on her prey in the marsh at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.

Harrier Hunting 5117

A pair of close flight portraits of a hunting female Northern Harrier at Bosque del Apache.
Note the distinctive Owl-like facial disc which amplifies and directs sound to the bird’s ears.

Harrier Hunting 5118

These images were taken as the Harrier entered the area for a spectacular hunting sequence.
A series of images from this hunting sequence are displayed in the section immediately below.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
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Harrier Hunting 5124

Harrier Hunting 5125

A female Northern Harrier glides into an area at the beginning of a spectacular hunting sequence,
taken at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge from 150 feet away at mid-afternoon with a 700mm lens.

Harrier Hunting 5127

The Harrier hears something of interest, possibly a panicking field mouse scurrying through the underbrush,
and hovers silently over the area and uses her facial disc to localize the sound, drawing a bead on the prey.

Harrier Hunting 5128 M

Harrier Hunting 5131 M

A female Northern Harrier hovering over a sound in a field, dangling her feet in anticipation of a pounce.

Harrier Hunting 5130 M

The female remains intent while hovering over the area, but cannot localize the sound.

Harrier Hunting 5132 M

Note how the Harrier remains exactly over the same area, using her eyes and ears to locate the prey.

Harrier Hunting 5134 M

The female Harrier drops lower, thinking she has found the prey, but eventually realizes she has missed it.
She leaves for a while and circles the field beyond before returning silently for another pass over the area.

Northern Harrier Head-on 5138

A female Northern Harrier flies directly towards the photographer while hunting a field at Bosque del Apache.

Northern Harrier 5139

The Harrier displays underwing detail as she makes her turn, preparing for another pass over the field.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
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Harrier Hunting 5142 M

Harrier Hunting 5143 M

The female Northern Harrier returns from her circuit over the next field to rescan the area,
hoping that the field mouse has acquired a false sense of security and returned to foraging.

Harrier Hunting 5146 M

She hovers over the area, trying to acquire a visual or audible track on her prey, but cannot find it.

Harrier Hunting 5150

Finally, the Harrier decides to leave the area and try another field.

Harrier Hunting 5151 M

As the Harrier flies silently away, she continues to scan the field below, looking for stirring creatures.

Harrier Hunting 5152c

Unfortunately, nothing is moving below, so she raises her head and speeds away to another field.

Northern Harrier Hunting Sequence XXL

A 1999 x 1290 version of the XXL Composite image (6015 x 3735)
of a Northern Harrier hunting sequence at Bosque del Apache, NM.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

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Kestrel 2583 M

Kestrel 2588 M

An American Kestrel Male perched in the Willows at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.

Kestrel 2590 M

A Male Kestrel in the Willows at Bosque del Apache.

Kestrel 2941 M

A Female Kestrel fluffing her feathers to ward off the cold.

The American Kestrel (also known as the Sparrow Hawk) is America’s smallest Falcon. It is the
smallest bird of prey at about 6 to 11 inches, and hunts like the White-Tailed Kite, hovering over its
prey and diving to catch it. It can see into the ultraviolet, allowing it to track urine trails to the source.

Falcons are closely related to Parrots and Passerines (Sparrows and similar small birds), although
their activities as diurnal birds of prey make them more like the Hawks, Eagles, Kites and Harriers.
All have a sharply-hooked beak with a cere (soft structure at the base of the bill) housing the nostrils.

Kestrel Male Female Comparison M

The sexes look different. The male has a black and white band at the end of his tail, and black spots
on his flanks. Males have blue-gray wings, an smooth orange breast, and an off-white belly and flanks.
The male Kestrel’s back has dark, separated streaks. Females are larger than the males, with a mottled
orange breast, barred orange feathers to the edges of the wings, and a barred orange back and tail.
Males, females and juveniles all have a bluish-gray forehead and two dark vertical facial stripes.

Kestrel X9034

Kestrel X9034c

A male Kestrel precariously perched atop a branch at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.
The image at left is the complete scene as depicted in the full-size image, at right is a detail crop.
Note the unvaried orange breast feathers and spotted flanks compared to the females shown above.

Kestrel Hovering X9035 X9041

A male Kestrel in hovering flight, searching for prey. This was taken at great distance with an 850mm lens
at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. Note the barred, light feathers of the underside of the wings. Kestrels
hunt in flight by hovering over an area, searching for prey. They also perch and watch the surrounding area for
approaching prey. Kestrels mostly eat insects (grasshoppers, dragonflies, beetles, etc.), rodents like mice
and voles, and the occasional small snake or amphibian, small bird, or squirrel. They can see into the
ultraviolet, allowing them to track a urine trail back to its source. They strike the prey on the ground.

Kestrel 5035 M

A close portrait of a male American Kestrel taken at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links:

Eagles    Red-Tailed Hawks    Assorted Hawks

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Kestrel 6004

A series of close portraits of a male American Kestrel at Bosque del Apache.

Kestrel 6021

The dark eye-stripe indicates that this is a young adult male.

Kestrel 6018

Properly exposing a back-lit bird is challenging, as you want to retain saturation in the sky and definition of shadow detail. It can be especially challenging to retain detail in the eye.

Kestrel 6025

... this Kestrel was an exceptionally attractive and trusting subject.

Kestrel 6035

Kestrel 6029

In my experience, it is somewhat unusual for a Kestrel to allow me to
approach close enough for a tight portrait, so when an opportunity like this
presents itself, I take several shots to capture as many poses as possible.

Kestrel Balance Issue 6038 M

Kestrel Balance Issue 6039 M

An errant gust of wind nearly blew our hero off his willow branch. Unfortunately, the close framing
which I was using for the portraits caused me to cut off the wingtips and tail... these things happen.

Kestrel 6045 M

The classic over-the-shoulder portrait completes this series. I wished that I had a mouse to give him.

American Kestrel Taking a Bow M

A composite image of an American Kestrel female taking a bow at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

More images of female and juvenile Kestrels are on the Falcons page of the Raptors Wildlife Study.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links:

Eagles    Red-Tailed Hawks    Assorted Hawks

Owl and Harrier       Falcons & Kites

Prairie Merlin 3373 M

A male Prairie Merlin overlooks a field next to the marsh at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

The Merlin is a robust, heavily-built small falcon, popular in falconry since the Middle Ages
for its agility and speed. The females are typically larger than the males. Males have reddish
brown tinting on the belly and bluish-brown wings. Females have drab brown wings and a buff
belly color, and are generally lighter than males. Juvenile birds look very similar to the females.

Due to shading of the bird, it is difficult to tell if this is a wintering Taiga Merlin or a Prairie Merlin.
The Taiga Merlin resides in Northern States and Canada, is generally a little darker with a darker
mustache under the eye, and winters in the southern states and on both coasts. The Prairie Merlin
is lighter, resides in the central states and winters in southern states. Bosque del Apache, NM is
a popular wintering location, and there is enough color variation to make identification difficult.

Prairie Merlin 4107c M

Prairie Merlin 4109c M

A Male Prairie Merlin shows the reddish brown color of his belly as he perches on a willow.

Prairie Merlin 4110

Merlins have lighter facial markings than other Falcons, a white eyebrow stripe, and a small, dark beak.

Prairie Merlin 5875

Prairie Merlin Female 4149

Female Prairie Merlins. Note the pale buff belly and lighter, drab brown wings.

Prairie Merlin 4152

A Prairie Merlin in flight at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Note the barred wings.

Taiga Merlin Sunset 1023 M

A Taiga Merlin at Sunset on Sanibel Island, Florida. Taiga Merlins winter along both coasts.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links:

Eagles    Red-Tailed Hawks    Assorted Hawks

Owl and Harrier       Falcons & Kites

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