A rare bird in the Tuzlovsky Estuaries National Park
A rare bird, the Northern Harrier, has been discovered in the Tuzlovsky Estuaries National Park.
Inhabitance and Characteristics
According to park employee Dr. Ivan Rusev, a bird listed in the Red Book was captured by scientists. «It inhabits open, grassy spaces located in forested, shrubby, or marshy areas of the country. During the wintering period, it can be observed on the shores of estuaries, in marshy areas, near cultivated lands. There are not many of these birds in the Tuzlovsky Estuaries, maybe a dozen can be found flying over the expanses of the national park. They do not nest here…» Rusev says.
Nesting and Wintering Areas
He notes that in Ukraine, these birds nest in some northern areas of the Polissya region and possibly parts of Western Ukraine. Harriers primarily winter in the steppe and forest-steppe zones.
Description of the Bird
Rusev specifies that the photos released show a female. She is dark brown on top, light ochre underneath with dark spot-like spots on the chest and elongated spots on the abdomen and «pants» that become reddish towards the legs, with a white underside.
