Long-winged Harrier

The long-winged is mid-sized bird of prey, and like most birds of prey species, the females are larger than the males. Males will weigh from 390 to 464 g (13.8 to 16.4 oz) and females will be slightly heavier, ranging from 400 to 645 g (14.1 to 22.8 oz). Their length can range between 46 and 60 cm (18 and 23.5 in) and their wingspan ranges between 120 and 155 cm (47 and 61 in). As other harrier species, the long-winged harrier can be identified by its long and narrow tail and its especially long wings. Their wings and their back are mostly grey, with the primary feathers on the wings being much darker than the rest of the wing feathers, which are streaked with variants of white, grey and brown.

The long-winged harrier can harbor 2 different morphs, a dark morph and a light morph. In dark morph individuals, the belly is all black with females having more of a brown undertone. The light morph individuals can be identified by their white underparts, which contrasts heavily with their dark morph counterpart. Juvenile long-winged harriers usually have the same colour patterns as females, but they have a more speckled chest. …

The long-winged harrier's year-round range encompasses most of eastern South America, including eastern Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay, and extends up to Colombia, Venezuela, and the northern tips of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The species has also been observed occasionally in extant areas such as Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, and all the way down to Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina. It is vagrant to Panama and the Falkland Islands. This species occupies large grasslands and agricultural fields, where their wide-range active hunting technique is very effective. Their habitat also includes savanna, marshes and wetlands of South America.

As all of the extended members of the family Accipitridae, the long-winged harrier is carnivorous, feeding on a large variety of animals due to its widespread distribution. Their diet includes small mammals (such as cavies), amphibians (such as frogs), reptiles (such as lizards) and birds (such as crakes and young coots), with birds consisting the majority of their food intake. It will also feed on bird eggs, varying from taking the whole ball-nests of water-tyrants to raiding heronries. Its hunting strategy differs vastly from other hawks sharing the same habitat such as the roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris). Instead of opting for a passive hunting strategy consisting of the use of high perches to locate their prey, the long-winged harrier will fly slowly in large circles above its range in order to find its prey, using its keen vision and hearing.