Northern Harrier

The animal featured on the cover of High Performance Computing is the Northern harrier (also known as the hen harrier or marsh hawk). Unlike most other hawks, this harrier likes to hunt exclusively on the wing -- cruising up to 100 miles a day -- and prefers roosting and nesting on the ground. Hunting forays over field and marsh consist of long, low glides powered by intermittant flaps, with an occasional pause to hover briefly (the Harrier aircraft is named for this characteristic).

This species is one of the most acrobatic and agile of raptors. During courtship, males perform spectacular aerobatics, marked by tumbling, drifting upside down, 200-foot spiral dives, stalls and wingovers.

Northern harriers prey on a variety of animals -- predominately small mammals, birds and reptiles -- which they detect with their keen sense of hearing (they are considered the diurnal counterpart of the short-eared owl). An owl-like facial ruff helps reflect sound (such as squeaking mice) to the harrier's sensitive ears. This bird of prey ranges over most temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

researched and written by Michael Kalantarian