The largest of the harriers, the marsh harrier creates a distinctive V-shape in the air by holding its wings up. They are sexually dimorphic in plumage, with adult females a handsome chocolate brown colour with cream heads and forewings whereas the males have a complex pattern of brown, russet and grey. It is likely to be spotted flying low over reedbeds and grazing marshes, with the wings raised in the prominent and characteristic 'V' shape. Nesting: Invariably, Marsh Harriers nest on the ground in long vegetation. Their tail is silvery-grey and their wings are bluey-grey with black primaries. Adult females are brown and streaky and lack the bold white rump patch of the similar female Hen Harrier. Males have a brown back, gingery belly, pale head and neck, and long, grey wings with black tips. Study of a number of birds of known age, however, has shown that plumage in Marsh Harriers is not straightforward, with some older birds having juvenile-type plumage, and some old females developing male-type plumage! During the breeding season, Marsh Harriers are typically seen in extensive reed beds but a few can be found in other open, well-vegetated habitats. After breeding birds range more widely and can be found in coastal areas and even quartering fields; in East Anglia, some seem to favour stubble fields in the autumn. Since recolonising, some British harriers are starting to show a wider breeding habitat, with records of crop-breeding and even moorland-breeding. Size: Average 52cm, wingspan 122cm. Small populations also occur in a number of other places, most notably Lancashire and Dorset. This time it is believed that the population crash was caused by the use of organochlorine pesticides, especially in their Scandinavian heartland. They are sexually dimorphic in plumage, with adult females a handsome chocolate brown colour with cream heads and forewings whereas the males have a complex pattern of brown, russet and grey. As birds are three before breeding they spend their first two years ranging widely away from where they were hatched, and this may include leaving the country, through southern Europe and even as far as Africa (several wing-tagged birds have been recorded south of the Sahara). Conservation status: AMBER (recovered from historical decline, but recent population and range declines). Adult males have chestnut underparts streaked with brown and a darker rump which is more robust than the other harriers. Take Merlin with you in the field! Migrant and passage visitor. The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. Historically, British Marsh Harriers have always nested in reed beds, although in Europe they nest in rank vegetation and even in agricultural crops. 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