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38-561: The Migneint ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˈmɪɡnaint] ) is a large expanse of moorland in central Snowdonia , north-west Wales . It is part of the Migneint-Arenig-Dduallt Special Area of Conservation , along with the mountains Arenig Fawr , Arenig Fach and Dduallt , covering a range of nearly 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi). It is either the largest area of blanket bog in Wales, or

76-482: A covering of peat . On western moors, the peat layer may be several metres thick. Scottish "muirs" are generally heather moors, but also have extensive covering of grass , cotton-grass , mosses , bracken and under-shrubs such as crowberry , with the wetter moorland having sphagnum moss merging into bog-land . There is uncertainty about how many moors were created by human activity. Oliver Rackham writes that pollen analysis shows that some moorland, such as in

114-418: 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

152-484: A relationship to tundra (where the subsoil is permafrost or permanently frozen soil), appearing as the tundra and the natural tree zone. The boundary between tundra and moorland constantly shifts with climatic change . Heathland and moorland are the most extensive areas of semi-natural vegetation in the British Isles . The eastern British moorlands are similar to heaths but are differentiated by having

190-542: A result, burning is now a controversial practice; Rackham calls it "second-best land management". Mechanical cutting of the heather has been used in Europe, but it is important for the material to be removed to avoid smothering regrowth. If heather and other vegetation are left for too long, a large volume of dry and combustible material builds up. This may result in a wildfire burning out a large area, although it has been found that heather seeds germinate better if subject to

228-472: A sensitivity to nature and one's physical surroundings grew with the rise of interest in landscape painting , and particularly the works of artists that favoured wide and deep prospects, and rugged scenery. To the English Romantic imagination, moorlands fitted this image perfectly, enhancing the emotional impact of the story by placing it within a heightened and evocative landscape. Moorland forms

266-422: 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

304-443: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Conwy County Borough location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Moorland Moorland habitats mostly occur in tropical Africa , northern and western Europe , and South America . Most of the world's moorlands are diverse ecosystems . In the extensive moorlands of the tropics, biodiversity can be extremely high. Moorland also bears

342-643: 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

380-465: 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

418-446: 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

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456-404: 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

494-948: Is home to an estimated 10–15% of the world's moors. Notable areas of upland moorland in Britain include the Lake District , the Pennines (including the Dark Peak and Forest of Bowland ), Mid Wales , the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the Scottish Highlands , and a few pockets in the West Country . Moorlands are called páramos in Spanish. They are particularly common in Northern Spain and

532-596: 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

570-485: 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

608-538: 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

646-454: The Lonk , thrive on the austere conditions of heather moors. Burning of moorland has been practised for a number of reasons, for example, when grazing is insufficient to control growth. This is recorded in Britain in the fourteenth century. Uncontrolled burning frequently caused (and causes) problems and was forbidden by statute in 1609. With the rise of sheep and grouse management in

684-732: The Meseta Central . Two similar habitats, although more arid, found in western North America: Colombia is one of only three countries in the world to be home to páramo (tropical moorland) and more than 60% of the paramo regions are found on its soil. 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

722-423: 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

760-542: 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

798-551: The brief heat of controlled burning. In terms of managing moorlands for wildlife, in the UK, vegetation characteristics are important for passerine abundance, whilst predator control benefits red grouse, golden plover, and curlew abundances. To benefit multiple species, many management options are required. However, management needs to be carried out in locations that are also suitable for species in terms of physical characteristics such as topography, climate and soil. The development of

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836-412: 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

874-435: The cooler conditions. In Europe, only the common viper is frequent, though in other regions moorlands are commonly home to dozens of reptile species. Amphibians such as frogs are well represented in moorlands. When moorland is overgrazed , woody vegetation is often lost, being replaced by coarse, unpalatable grasses and bracken , with a greatly reduced fauna. Some hill sheep breeds, such as Scottish Blackface and

912-452: 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

950-410: 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

988-550: The islands and extreme north of Scotland, are clearly natural, never having had trees, whereas much of the Pennine moorland area was forested in Mesolithic times. How much the deforestation was caused by climatic changes and how much by human activity is uncertain. A variety of distinct habitat types are found in different world regions of moorland. The wildlife and vegetation forms often lead to high endemism because of

1026-436: 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

1064-416: 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

1102-531: The nineteenth century, it again became common practice. Heather is burnt at about 10 or 12 years old when it will regenerate easily. Left longer, the woodier stems will burn more aggressively and will hinder regrowth. Burning of moorland vegetation needs to be very carefully controlled, as the peat itself can catch fire, and this can be difficult if not impossible to extinguish. In addition, uncontrolled burning of heather can promote alternative bracken and rough grass growth, which ultimately produces poorer grazing. As

1140-408: 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

1178-743: The second largest, after the Berwyn range , further to the east. The area includes a few small lakes , including Llyn Conwy , the source of the River Conwy , and is bisected by the B4407 road from Ffestiniog to Ysbyty Ifan . Plans have been suggested to hold water on the Migneint for longer, to help prevent flooding in the Conwy valley ; but local farmers have voiced concern that this could be harmful to livestock. This Gwynedd location article

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1216-797: The setting of various works of late Romantic English literature, ranging from the Yorkshire moorland in Emily Brontë 's Wuthering Heights and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett to Dartmoor in Arthur Conan Doyle 's Holmesian mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles . They are also featured in Charlotte Bronte 's Jane Eyre representing the heroine's desolation and loneliness after leaving Mr Rochester . Enid Blyton 's Famous Five series featured

1254-564: The severe soil and microclimate characteristics. An example of this is the Exmoor Pony , a rare horse breed which has adapted to the harsh conditions in England's Exmoor . In Europe, the associated fauna consists of bird species such as red grouse , hen harrier , merlin , golden plover , curlew , skylark , meadow pipit , whinchat , ring ouzel , and twite . Other species dominate in moorlands elsewhere. Reptiles are few due to

1292-526: The true story of some of England's most infamous witch trials. In Erin Hunter 's Warriors series, one of the four Clans, WindClan, lives in the moorland alone. Michael Jecks , author of Knights Templar Mysteries, sets his books in and around Dartmoor , England. Paul Kingsnorth ’s Beast is also set on a western English moor, using the barren landscape and fields of heather to communicate themes of timelessness and distance from civilization. Great Britain

1330-683: 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

1368-437: 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

1406-509: The young protagonists adventuring across various moorlands where they confronted criminals or other individuals of interest. Such a setting enhanced the plot as the drama unfolded away from the functioning world where the children could solve their own problems and face greater danger. Moorland in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire is the setting for Walter Bennett's The Pendle Witches ,

1444-526: 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,

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