Hen Harrier

These hawk-like birds soar in skies with open broad wings in a shallow "V" shape. Males of this species come in Gandalf gray while the females are brownish with dirty streaks. They are birds of open country and while soaring keep an eye out for meadow pipits, voles and ground squirrels. They are primarily winter visitors to Nepal from their breeding grounds in Central Asia. During their breeding season, they are famous for their 'Sky Dance' in which the males twists, turns and somersaults in flight to attract females. Successful males often mate with up to five females in a single season. This is one of the few raptors that take up multiple mates. The birds build their nests upon a mound of dirt made of sticks, grass and leaves. Males are seen to bring foods and females wash and dry after their budding children's. It takes the chicks around 36 days to fledge and breeding maturity takes about 2 years for males and around 3 years for females.