Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargus
During courtship, the male performs spectacular 'sky-dancing' aerial loops and drops prey mid-air for the female to catch in her talons.
- Scientific name
- Circus pygargus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Accipitriformes › Accipitridae › Circus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, heathlands, steppes, and agricultural cereal fields.
- Diet
- Small rodents, passerine birds, lizards, and large insects like grasshoppers.
- Range
- Europe, Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, India
- Size
- Wingspan: 100-120 cm; Weight: 230-450 g.
- Lifespan
- 10-16 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Agricultural intensification, early mechanized harvesting of nests, and pesticide use reducing prey availability.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. If you spot one in a field during spring or summer, maintain a distance of at least 200 meters to avoid disturbing ground nests. Do not approach if the bird begins alarm calling.
The Montagu's harrier ( Circus pygargus ) is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.
Photo: Вячеслав Юсупов, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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