Slim hawks with long wings and tail. Long unfeathered legs and an owl like facial disk identify the bird at close range. Males are pale gray with streaks of white the tail is gray with brown bars. Females are dark brown with brown and white streaking in front the brown tail is barred with dark stripes.
Juveniles resemble female but have a cinamon brown breast.
The conspicuous white rump patch is diagnostic for this species in the field. The Northern Harrier breeds from Alaska through Canada and the northern half of the U.S. Winters from the middle U.S. into Mexico, although harriers are reported from southern Minnesota occasionaly in the winter. The Northern Harrier is a grassland raptor generally found in wet meadows. They nest and roost on the ground. A ground nester, they build their nest in tall grass or in the cover of a bush or shrub.