Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans)
About the Swamp Harrier
The swamp harrier (Circus approximans), also known as the Australasian marsh harrier or Australasian harrier, is a large, slim bird of prey widely distributed across Australasia. In New Zealand, it is also known by the Māori name kāhu. It arrived in New Zealand within the last 700 years, replacing the larger species, the extinct New Zealand endemic Eyles's harrier. The swamp harrier belongs to the subfamily Circinae and genus Circus, which are represented worldwide, except Antarctica. The subfamily and genus are derived from the characteristic behaviour of circling flight during courtship and hawking.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 16 recordings for this species: 4 CC BY-NC-SA · 2 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Australia, New Zealand in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Eastern Marsh HarrierCircus spilonotusrecording
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusrecording
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosusrecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.