Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Hen Harrier

UK History

Once predating free-range fowl, earning its present name, the hen harrier was commonplace over the heather moors of Britain but the population declined markedly during the 19th century as a result of persecution to protect red grouse stocks. By 1900, hen harriers were found only on Orkney and the Western Isles of Scotland. As a result of legal protection they had recolonised the mainland by the 1970’s, but numbers remain well below the carrying capacity of the available habitat.

UK Status

750 pairs. Scotland still holds 84% of the UK population, and numbers have not changed significantly since 1989.

Global Status

Present across most of Europe, north and central Asia, and North America. European status: 12,000 - 19,000 (4% in Britain).

Biology

Nests on ground on heather moorlands and in young conifer plantations. Lays 3 - 6 eggs in May. Typically 2 - 4 chicks fledge. Breeds after 2 years and has a typical lifespan of 7 years. Feeds primarily on small birds including red grouse chicks.

Issues with humans

Of all the UK's birds of prey, this is the most intensively persecuted. They are killed or prevented from nesting successfully because they eat red grouse. The scale of illegal killing has prompted a range of initiatives by the government, police and conservation agencies, including Operation Artemis (a police crackdown on hen harrier destruction) and English Nature's Hen Harrier Recovery Project.

Hen harriers continue to decline in northern England, and south and east Scotland, areas dominated by heather moorland that is managed for driven grouse shooting.

Diversionary feeding ( the provision of dead rats) on some moors populated by harriers has led to a reduction in grouse predation.

Future Outlook

The prospects for the hen harrier are mixed. In the west of the UK, where there is little driven grouse-shooting and fewer sheep, the prospects are better than for several decades.

Populations in Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and some of the Hebrides are at their highest since the 1970s. New agri-environment schemes provide an even greater opportunity for land managers to help upland wildlife, including hen harriers.

However, numbers in England and south and east Scotland, where driven grouse shooting is a major land use, have fallen. An end to persecution would allow the population to rise by an estimated 13% each year.

In the longer term, climate change could have a major impact with wetter springs leading to poorer breeding success.

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