Heteroepitaxial Fe films on GaN(0 0 0 1) are grown at 50, 350 and 500 degrees C by molecular beam epitaxy. The structural properties of these films are studied in situ by reflection high-energy electron diffraction phi scans and ex situ by electron backscatter diffraction and longitudinal as well as azimuthal X-ray scans. Their morphological and magnetic properties are investigated by atomic force microscopy and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, respectively. Higher growth temperatures lead to a clear improvement of the structural quality of the films while retaining their morphological integrity. Furthermore, the coercivity of the films increases significantly with growth temperature. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.