All About the Marsh Harrier - Facts & Information

Appearance & Behaviour

The Marsh Harrier is a medium-sized raptor with long legs and broad wings. The males have grey wings, black tips, a pale head, and a golden yellow crown.

The females are chocolate brown, with a gingery belly and pale creamy head. When gliding, you'll notice its distinctive V-shaped tail. In the UK, the Marsh Harrier is a breeding bird.

During breeding season, many aerial displays take place, like when the male and female partners lock talons mid-air.

They often can be spotted flying low over wetlands, where they pluck frogs and other prey.

Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) Conservation Status

In the UK, the Marsh Harrier is a species of conservation concern and is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

In 1971, only one nesting female remained at Minsmere in Suffolk. Now, the population steadily increased due to conservation efforts. However, this rare bird is still vulnerable to habitat loss, persecution, and disturbance.

They are now found in East Anglia, South East England, and the Somerset Levels.

Where Do They Live?

In the UK, the Marsh Harrier nests in large reedbeds, building the nest in dense reeds to stay hidden from predators.

They forage over wetlands, marshes, fens, and floodplains and hunt above shallow water, ditches, and wet grasslands.

Marsh Harrier Diet

The Marsh Harrier is an opportunistic predator that hunts mainly from reedbeds, where it searches for small mammals, frogs, and birds.

It is also skilled at taking prey directly from the water in a mid-air swoop, showing remarkable agility. Its diet is varied and includes waterfowl chicks, amphibians, and even carrion when available.

The Breeding Season

During the breeding season, Marsh Harriers put on spectacular aerial courtship displays, with males and females often locking talons mid-air and performing dramatic dives and twists. The male also demonstrates his agility by passing food to the female in flight, a behaviour that helps strengthen their pair bond.

Nests are built low in dense reedbeds, made from reeds and grasses to stay hidden from predators. The female incubates the eggs while the male supplies food, and once the chicks hatch, both parents take part in raising them.

The young remain well concealed in the reeds until they are ready to fledge at around 35–40 days old, after which they continue to depend on their parents for food for a further two to three weeks while learning to hunt.

Predators & Other Threats

As a raptor, the Marsh Harrier doesn't face many predators in adulthood, but eggs and chicks are vulnerable to foxes, crows and other predators.

The biggest threat to this species is habitat loss, as without wetlands and reedbed habitats, this species struggles to survive. They are still rare in some regions despite recovery.

Five Facts About Marsh Harriers

1. Once reduced to just one nesting female in the UK in 1971, conservation efforts have helped their population recover to well over a thousand breeding birds today.

2. Males and females are strikingly different: males have grey wings with black tips and a pale head, while females are mostly chocolate brown with a creamy crown.

3. Their courtship displays are spectacular, with pairs locking talons mid-air and males passing food to females in flight.

4. They rely on large reedbeds for nesting, making wetland conservation vital to their survival.

5. Marsh Harriers are highly adaptable hunters, able to pluck prey such as frogs and waterfowl chicks straight from the water in mid swoop.