A PLEA has been issued to people enjoying the Cumbrian countryside to keep an eye out for one of the UK’s rarest birds of prey.

Hen harriers are medium-sized birds of prey, similar to a buzzard but with a slightly slimmer appearance, with long wings and a long tail.

Female and young hen harriers are speckled brown and cream with horizontal stripes on their tails. The most striking feature is the patch of white at their rump.

Males are slightly smaller and pale grey with black wingtips. Both have a round, owl-like face.

The RSPB is asking everyone to keep their eyes peeled as hen harriers return to their breeding grounds this spring.

Hen harriers’ nest on the ground amongst heather or soft rush in the uplands.

They are the UK’s most persecuted bird of prey relative to its population size and on the brink of extinction as breeding bird in England. There were only 19 successful nests in England in 2020.

Jack Ashton-Booth, RSPB investigations officer, said: “We are calling on the public to email our Hen Harrier Hotline if they believe they’ve seen a hen harrier. This helps us build a picture of where these birds are.

“We welcome any sightings and appreciate your time.

“Hen harriers are beautiful and elusive raptors and, unlike peregrines and kestrels, they are rarely seen in urban environments.

“So if it’s perched on your fence, it’s probably a sparrowhawk, if it’s in a tree by the roadside, it’s probably a kestrel or a buzzard. But if it’s over rough pasture or moorland, and matches the description, you might have seen a hen harrier.”

If you’ve seen a hen harrier, email henharriers@rspb.org.uk

Please include the date, time, location/grid reference and a description of the bird.