Swamp harrier

Circus approximans

The Swamp harrier (Circus approximans) is a bird found in Australia and New Zealand. Wetlands and open land across Australia and New Zealand. It eats small mammals and birds, reptiles and frogs and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Circus approximans
Region	Australia & Oceania
Found in	Australia and New Zealand

🏡 Where the Swamp harrier lives

Wetlands and open land across Australia and New Zealand.

🍽️ What it eats

🐭 Mammals & birds50%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs20%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%
🐟 Fish10%
🦴 Leftovers (carrion)10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It glides low over reeds and wetlands, hunting for small animals.

Hear the Swamp harrier

Recorded by Ramit Singal (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC503668. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Swamp harrier

Where does the Swamp harrier live?

The Swamp harrier lives in Australia and New Zealand. Wetlands and open land across Australia and New Zealand.

What does the Swamp harrier eat?

small mammals and birds (about 50%), reptiles and frogs (about 20%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%), fish (about 10%), dead animals (carrion) (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Swamp harrier endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Australia & Oceania

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.