Deutschland – 01. 07. 2026

The Single Dad Hen Harrier: A 135-Year Conservation Miracle!

11.09.2026

Today we have released video footage providing the first evidence of a ‘single-parent’ male rearing harrier chicks. This is the world’s first video evidence of this behaviour in this species. The footage shows how, after the female’s disappearance, the male independently carves up his prey and feeds the chicks beak-to-beak. He also shields them from the sun’s rays and keeps them warm at night – tasks that, in harrier populations, are usually carried out only by the females. The harrier brood in the Zülpicher Börde is one of fewer than 10 broods of this species in the whole of Germany and the first in the region for 135 years.

You can find the link to the video on our YouTube channel showing the full story here.