One of the 3 harriers on WAnimals
Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae
Circus aeruginosus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
It practises obligate siblicide: because the eggs hatch at intervals, a sharp size hierarchy develops among the chicks, and the smallest usually starve when food is short.
Weight
580 g – 1.1 kg
Size
48 cm – 62 cm
Life expectancy
6 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Estimated population
1,149-1,494 breeding pairs in Spain according to the 2006 national survey, against 481-522 in 1990; Castilla-La Mancha, Castile and León, Navarre and Andalusia hold 68% of them. In Europe an estimated 303,000-485,000 mature individuals
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info) · EBSCO Research Starters · Les-Oiseaux.com · Oiseaux-birds.com · eBird · Animalia.bio · PMC (haematological values nestlings study) · Lista Roja Europea de Aves 2021: población reproductora europea estimada en 303.000-485.000 individuos maduros y considerada estable · en España pasó de 481-522 parejas en 1990 a 1.149-1.494 en 2006 · Molina y Martínez 2008, El aguilucho lagunero en España, población en 2006, SEO/BirdLife · Lista Roja Europea de Aves 2021 · SEO/BirdLife, ficha del aguilucho lagunero occidental y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España
Best time: From April to July on the breeding wetlands, after the spring passage through the Strait in March; in winter it gathers at dusk in communal roosts among the marsh vegetation, which makes it far easier to see
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Western Marsh Harrier — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Based on what we already know about western marsh harrier.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
