32-455: Berwyn originally referred to the Berwyn range of mountains in northeast Wales: Berwyn may also refer to: Berwyn range The Berwyn range ( Welsh : Y Berwyn or Mynydd y Berwyn ) is an isolated and sparsely populated area of moorland in the northeast of Wales , roughly bounded by Llangollen in the northeast, Corwen in the northwest, Bala in the southwest, and Oswestry in
64-470: A meteorite had impacted. Further confusion was caused by lights seen on the Berwyn Mountains, which subsequently turned out to have belonged to poachers. The area supports substantial populations of upland birds including raptors, such as the hen harrier ( Circus cyaneus ), merlin ( Falco columbarius ), and peregrine ( Falco peregrinus ) (about 14–18 breeding pairs of each species, 1%–2% of
96-418: A more bouncing chuk-uk-uk-uk during his display flight. This medium-sized raptor breeds on moorland , bogs , prairies , farmland coastal prairies , marshes , grasslands , swamps and other assorted open areas. A male will maintain a territory averaging 2.6 km (1.0 sq mi), though male territories have ranged from 1.7 to 150 km (0.66 to 57.92 sq mi). These are one of
128-552: A possible origin of the term "Berwyn" was "Bryn(iau) Gwyn (ap Nudd)", where the Middle Welsh word "bre" (hill) had mutated to Ber + Gwyn , Gwyn ap Nudd being the mythological King of the Tylwyth Teg (Fair Folk, or fairies). A more likely etymology is "bar" (summit, crest) + "gwyn" (white), with the "a" in "bar" showing i-affection as a result of the "y" in "gwyn" , therefore changing from "a" to "e" ;
160-422: A shallow V in its low flight during which the bird closely hugs the contours of the land below it. Northern or hen harriers hunt primarily small mammals , as do most harriers. Up to 95% of the diet comprises small mammals. However, birds are hunted with some regularity as well, especially by males. Preferred avian prey include passerines of open country (i.e. sparrows , larks , pipits ), small shorebirds and
192-643: Is a bird of open habitats such as heather moorland and extensive agriculture. However, much of its range, particularly in Ireland and parts of western Britain, has been (and continues to be) afforested, predominantly with non-native conifers such as Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis ) from North America. Hen harriers nest and forage in commercial forestry when it is young, before the canopy closes (typically at between 9 and 12 years old), but do not make much use of thicket and subsequent growth stages, which typically comprise between 2 ⁄ 3 and 3 ⁄ 4 of
224-465: Is available on longevity in hen harriers. The longest-lived known bird is 16 years and 5 months. However, adults rarely live more than 8 years. Early mortality mainly results from predation. Predators of eggs and nestlings include raccoons , skunks , badgers , foxes , crows and ravens , dogs and owls . Both parents attack potential predators with alarm calls and striking with talons. Short-eared owls are natural competitors of this species that favor
256-446: Is brown above with white upper tail coverts, hence females, and the similar juveniles, are often called "ringtails". Their underparts are buff streaked with brown. Immatures look like females but with less distinct barring, dark brown secondaries dark brown and less-streaked belly. The female gives a whistled piih-eh when receiving food from the male, and her alarm call is chit-it-it-it-it-et-it . The male calls chek-chek-chek , with
288-404: Is built on the ground or on a mound of dirt or vegetation. Nests are made of sticks and are lined inside with grass and leaves. Four to eight (exceptionally 2 to 10) whitish eggs are laid. The eggs measure approximately 47 mm × 36 mm (1.9 in × 1.4 in). The eggs are incubated mostly by the female for 31 to 32 days. When incubating eggs, the female sits on the nest while
320-673: Is crossed to the southwest by the B4391 Milltir Cerrig mountain pass at an elevation of 486 metres (1,594 ft). Cadair Berwyn is the highest point in the Berwyn range, and the highest point in Wales outside the National Parks. Cadair Bronwen and Foel Cedig to the west are the two Marilyns that form the Berwyn range. The mountain lies on main ridge of the Berwyn range which runs north–south. The eastern side of
352-596: Is not believed to be approaching the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). It is therefore classified as "least concern". In Britain and Ireland, however, hen harrier populations are in a critical condition, due to habitat loss and illegal killing on grouse moors . In England alone there is enough suitable habitat for over 300 pairs of breeding Hen Harriers but in 2022 there were only 34 successful nests. Furthermore, many of
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#1732765302170384-485: Is not reached until 2 years in females and 3 years in males. In winter, the hen harrier is a bird of open country, and will then roost communally, often with merlins and marsh harriers . There is now an accepted record of transatlantic vagrancy by the northern harrier, with a juvenile being recorded in Scilly , Great Britain from October 1982 to June 1983. This is a typical harrier, which hunts on long wings held in
416-538: Is now placed in the genus Circus that was introduced by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. The genus name Circus is derived from the Ancient Greek kirkos , referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight ( kirkos , "circle"). The specific epithet cyaneus is from Latin and means "dark blue". The species is monotypic : no subspecies are recognised. The hen harrier
448-554: Is often reported that Moel Sych , 1 kilometre ( 5 ⁄ 8 mi) along the ridge, is of equal height, but Cadair Berwyn's spot height on the Ordnance Survey maps, where the trig point stands, is not the true summit. Cadair Berwyn's summit, 200 metres (220 yd) south of the trig point, is three metres taller than Moel Sych. This summit is listed as Cadair Berwyn New Top on the Nuttall list. Several other summits in
480-423: The wing chord is 32.8 to 40.6 cm (12.9 to 16.0 in), the tail is 19.3 to 25.8 cm (7.6 to 10.2 in) and the tarsus is 7.1 to 8.9 cm (2.8 to 3.5 in). It is relatively long winged and long tailed. The male is mainly grey above and white below except for the upper breast, which is grey like the upperparts, and the rump, which is white; the wings are grey with black wingtips. The female
512-542: The English name "The blue hawk". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a bird that had been shot near London. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition , he placed the hen harrier with the falcons and eagles in the genus Falco . Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Falco cyaneus and cited Edwards' work. The hen harrier
544-574: The area are listed as Hewitts or Nuttalls , including Foel Wen ([ˈvɔil ˈwɛn], Welsh for white hill) and Mynydd Tarw ([ˈmɐnɨð ˈtæɾu], bull mountain). The summit lies on the border between Powys and Denbighshire , and is the highest point in Denbighshire. The northern end of Craig Berwyn is the highest point in Wrexham County Borough . There is a standing stone at SJ080337 near the summit between Cadair Berwyn and Tomle. It
576-412: The commercial growth cycle. Where forests replace habitats that were used by hen harriers they will therefore tend to reduce overall habitat availability. However, where afforestation takes place in areas that were previously underutilised by hen harriers, it may increase the value of such areas to this species in the long-term. Areas dominated by forestry may remain suitable to hen harriers provided that
608-452: The few raptorial birds known to practice polygyny – one male mates with several females. Up to five females have been known to mate with one male in a season. A supplementary feeding experiment on the Orkney islands showed that rates of polygyny were influenced by food levels; males provided with extra food had more breeding females than 'control' males that received no extra food. The nest
640-410: The ground in open areas, as they drift low over fields and moors. The harriers circle an area several times listening and looking for prey. Harriers use hearing regularly to find prey, as they have exceptionally good hearing for diurnal raptors, this being the function of their owl -like facial disc. This harrier tends to be a very vocal bird while it glides over its hunting ground. Little information
672-436: The male hunts and brings food to her and the chicks. The male will help feed chicks after they hatch, but does not usually watch them for a greater period of time than around 5 minutes. The male usually passes off food to the female, which she then feeds to the young, although later the female will capture food and simply drop into the nest for her nestlings to eat. The chicks fledge at around 36 days old, though breeding maturity
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#1732765302170704-416: The mildest regions, such as France and Great Britain , hen harriers may be present all year, but the higher ground is largely deserted in winter. The northern harrier was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the hen harrier. In 1758 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the hen harrier in the first volume of his Gleanings of Natural History . He used
736-457: The ridge is characterised by steep drops and crags including Craig Berwyn north of the summit and Craig y Llyn to the south. Craig y Llyn forms the headwall of a cwm , and it is to this that the word cadair (chair in Welsh) presumably refers. Further north along the ridge is Cadair Bronwen, whilst to south the ridge continues to Moel Sych (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈmɔil ˈsɨːx], meaning "dry hill"). It
768-408: The same prey and habitat, as well as having a similarly broad distribution. Occasionally, both harriers and short-eared owls will harass each other until the victim drops its prey and it can be stolen, a practice known as kleptoparasitism . Most commonly, the harriers are the aggressors pirating prey from owls. This species has a large range. There is evidence of a population decline, but the species
800-626: The southeast. The area is wild and largely vegetated by heather about one metre thick, with some acidic grassland and bracken . It is not very popular for hill-walking or scrambling since the peaks are lower than those in nearby Snowdonia . However, the topmost peaks are rugged and have a distinctive character. Nearby towns include Llangollen and Corwen , which are popular tourist destinations. The main summits are Cadair Berwyn at 832 metres (2,730 ft) above sea level, Moel Sych at 827 metres (2,713 ft) and Cadair Bronwen at 783 metres (2,569 ft) above sea level. The Berwyn range
832-554: The total British population), and for this reason it is a Special Protection Area classified in accordance with the European Union's Birds Directive . Much of the area is also designated a national nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains Special Area of Conservation . Other wildlife include short-eared owl , raven , buzzard , polecat and golden plover . The scholar T. Gwynn Jones suggested that
864-615: The word also shows soft mutation of the letter "g" (which is deleted under soft mutation). 52°55′16″N 3°25′26″W / 52.92111°N 3.42389°W / 52.92111; -3.42389 Hen harrier Falco cyaneus Linnaeus, 1766 The hen harrier ( Circus cyaneus ) is a bird of prey . It breeds in Eurasia . The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Europe and southern temperate Asia. In
896-683: The young birds don’t even make it through their first year, let alone survive until the age of two, when they can first breed. Most UK Hen Harriers are in Scotland but even there its population declined by 27% between 2004 and 2016. In some parts of Europe people believed that seeing a harrier perched on a house was a sign that three people would die. Unlike many raptors, hen harriers have historically been seen favorably by farmers because they eat predators of quail eggs and mice that damage crops. Harriers are sometimes called "good hawks" because they pose no threat to poultry as some hawks do. The hen harrier
928-437: The young of waterfowl and galliforms . Supplementing the diet occasionally are amphibians (especially frogs ), reptiles and insects (especially orthopterans ). The species has been observed to hunt bats if these are available. Larger prey, such as rabbits and adult ducks are taken sometimes and harriers have been known to subdue these by drowning them in water. Harriers hunt by surprising prey while flying low to
960-526: Was formerly considered to be conspecific with the northern harrier . The hen harrier is 41–52 cm (16–20 in) long with a 97–122 cm (38–48 in) wingspan. It resembles other harriers in having distinct male and female plumages. The sexes also differ in weight, with males weighing 290 to 400 g (10 to 14 oz), with an average of 350 g (12 oz), and females weighing 390 to 750 g (14 to 26 oz), with an average of 530 g (19 oz). Among standard measurements,
992-498: Was little fighting – endless days of heavy rain forced the English to retreat. At 8.38 pm on 23 January 1974, an earthquake of magnitude 3.5 was felt over a wide area of north Wales and as far as Liverpool. Since earthquakes are uncommon in the UK, it was not generally recognized for what it was, and since a number of unusual lights in the sky had been observed the same evening, it was considered possible that an aircraft had crashed, or
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1024-568: Was re-erected in June 2008 by High Sports. The Berwyn range also played its part in causing King Henry II of England to turn back during his invasion of Gwynedd in 1165. Rather than taking the usual route along the northern coastal plain, his army invaded from Oswestry and took a route over the Berwyns. The English invasion faced an alliance of Welsh princes led by King Owain Gwynedd , but there
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