The Goulburn Broken Catchment Managment Authority’s raptor of the month is the Spotted Harrier.
The latest bird of prey to be featured in the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s 2026 Year of the Raptor community awareness campaign is the spotted harrier.
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The spotted harrier is a medium-sized raptor, that primarily inhabits open woodlands, grasslands and cropping areas around the Goulburn Valley.
GBCMA project officer Janice Mentiplay-Smith said one of the most distinguishable features of the spotted harrier was its owl-like facial disc shape.
“Its facial disc is not just for good looks; this circle of stiff feathers helps to direct the sounds of scurrying prey to its ears.
“Spotted harriers can also raise or lower these feathers, which helps to further funnel tiny sounds made by potential prey to their sharp ears.
“As well, it has long legs that are perfectly designed for swooping and seizing small prey,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
The spotted harrier primarily hunts small prey that it catches fresh, using a hunting technique known as ‘quartering’.
“Never one to let an opportunity go by, it hunts by ‘quartering’ an area, whereby it systematically flies low over the ground, keeping a sharp eye open for anything that moves.
“It will also take advantage of fence posts as a handy look-out point,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
The spotted harrier uses a hunting technique known as 'quartering'.
Cropping areas provide easy access and large populations of rodents, making them an ideal hunting ground and their edges the perfect place for the harrier to build their nests.
Harrier nests can be spotted on horizontally running branches, where they construct shallow platform nests.
Spotted harrier nests are often lined with eucalyptus leaves, which the raptor uses for their natural antiseptic properties.
Local birding group BirdLife Murray-Goulburn meets monthly for bird watching outings and to enjoy the local environment.
The group’s next outing will be on Saturday, March 21, when they visit Lake Cooper, Corop.
For more information contact robertsdon680@gmail.com
The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority’s year of the raptor community awareness campaign is designed to teach the wider community more about local species and how to help them and their environments to thrive.
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