HARRIERS 
139 
331. Marsh Hawk, marsh harrier, le busard des marais. Circus hudsonius. 
L, 19. Plate XV R. Adult male: coloured like a gull, light slate-blue above, white below, 
black wing tips. Juvenile: mostly reddish brown, 
striped with lighter below. Adult female: like juven- 
ile, but paler and less red. 
Distinctions. A partial and incomplete feathered 
eye-ring, merely suggestive of those of the owls, is 
distinctive of the species. The general gull-like 
colours of the adult male and the warm reds of the 
juveniles are characteristic. 
Field Marks. A medium-sized hawk of long, 
slender build. Slighter than a Broad-wing, smaller 
than a Goshawk, and larger than Cooper’s (Figure 
Figure 203 175 — 1). General coloration and the white rump, 
Marsh Hawk (adult male); scale, J. 
Figure 204 
Marsh Hawk (adult male); scale, r V 
Appearance in flight. 
which shows conspicuously in flight, are the best field marks. Its long wings and tail 
(Figure 204) give it a somewhat falcon-like outline in flight, but its action is entirely 
different. The Marsh Hawk when soaring holds its wings decidedly elevated above the 
body instead of almost on a level with it, as do most hawks (Figure 205). 
Figure 205 
Field marks of Marsh Hawk. 
Note angle of wings when flying. 
Nesting. On the ground in a dry spot of the marshes, or in a hayfield. 
Distribution. The whole of the United States and Canada north to near the Arctic 
Breeds throughout its range in Canada. 
