Notornis, 23 (2), 85-89
Article Type: Paper
A communal roost of the Australasian harrier was studied at Huntly from late January to early April 1975. The roost was situated in standing hay and extended over about 0.36 of a hectare. Most individual roosts were found clustered in groups among the most dense vegetation. Morning and evening observations showed that a consistent pattern of movement was followed. A limited amount of aerial displaying was also observed. Previously, it has been suggested that communal roosts occur when harriers gather to exploit a local food abundance. Evidence gathered from the Huntly roost indicates that this contention may not be true for all roosts.