The swamp harrier, or kāhu, is one of the most familiar raptors seen gliding over the Limestone Coast. With long wings and a distinctive buoyant flight, it hunts across open country, wetlands, and coastal areas, using keen eyesight to spot prey such as small birds, rodents, and carrion. They build large stick nests, often hidden in rank grass or wetland vegetation, and typically raise their young through spring and summer.
While kāhu play an important ecological role as both predator and scavenger, they also occasionally take chicks, eggs or ground-nesting native birds, especially in open habitats where such species are vulnerable.
Once heavily persecuted, kāhu are now protected native birds and a common sight across much of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Source: https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/swamp-harrier