Harrier

Harrier. (1) (The hare-dog), a small hound kept in parks in England for hare-hunting. It differs little from the foxhounds (q.v.), except in being of smaller size. (2) (The bird that harries), any bird of the Falconine genus Cireus, with 15 species widely distributed in both hemispheres. The untoothed bill is of moderate length, and there is a face disk similar to, but smaller than, that of the owls. C. eyaneus (the Hen-harrier) and C. teruginosus (the Moor Buzzard) are rare in Britain; C. cinerascens (Montagu's Harrier) is a noccasional visitor. The males have bluish plumage on the upper surface (whence the names "blue kites" or "blue hawks"), while that of the females is brown.