Hen Harrier vs Spotted Harrier

Circus cyaneus compared with Circus assimilis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hen Harrier	Spotted Harrier
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family same	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus same	Circus	Circus
Species	Circus cyaneus	Circus assimilis

Evolutionary Relationship

Hen Harrier and Spotted Harrier share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Circus.

Conservation Status

Hen Harrier

LC — Least Concern

Spotted Harrier

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hen Harrier	Spotted Harrier
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hen Harrier

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Venezuela).

Spotted Harrier

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway.

Hen Harrier

Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway