Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae

Montagu's Harrier

Circus pygargus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Montagu's harrier is a slender raptor with long, narrow wings that quarters cereal fields flying low and slow. In Spain, which holds a very significant share of the European population, most pairs nest directly on the ground within cereal crops, so that the harvest destroys the broods before the chicks can fly. Campaigns to locate and protect nests are the key to its conservation.

Weight

261 g – 370 g

Size

41 cm – 49 cm

Lifespan

16 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

GrasslandCarnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Grassland

62countries 76parks43same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt nests on the ground among the wheat, so the harvest destroys many nests.
conservaciónIt nests directly on the ground in cereal fields, which leaves its nests extremely vulnerable to farm machinery at harvest.
It is a raptor that nests on the ground in cereal fields, and the harvest usually comes before the chicks can fly: every year volunteers and farmers locate and fence thousands of nests in Spain to save them.
Its cycle depends on voles: in outbreak years the species breeds with enormous success, and in lean years many pairs do not even try.
It migrates to the African Sahel, crossing the Sahara twice a year, a journey of more than five thousand kilometres for a bird weighing little over three hundred grams.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Cereal steppe, dryland crops, wasteland and grassland of Europe and western Asia
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 29 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 4 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_pygargus