#0654 · 🐦 birds

Hen Harrier

🇳🇱 Blauwe Kiekendief ·Circus cyaneus

LCleast concern 🐦 Birds 📍 in the Netherlands

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

The hen harrier ( Circus cyaneus ) is a bird of prey. The genus name Circus is derived from Ancient Greek kirkos , meaning 'circle', referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight. The specific cyaneus is Latin, meaning "dark-blue".

base stats

NL sightings 271iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 18,624iNaturalist observations
weight 527 gadult, up to
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 271 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
18,624 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Weighs only about 527 g.
Scientifically named in 1766 (260 years ago).

fact sheet

English: Hen Harrier
Nederlands: Blauwe Kiekendief
scientific name: Circus cyaneus
class: Aves
order: Accipitriformes
family: Accipitridae
IUCN Red List: LC · least concern
sightings in NL: 271
sightings in Europe: 12,166
sightings worldwide: 18,624
GBIF records in NL: 99,969
weight: 527 g
length: —
lifespan: —
named: 1766

IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.

relatives· Accipitridae

Sources: iNaturalist taxon 559064, Wikidata Q25572, GBIF 2480487, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.