# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/efec8f17-832f-4ba2-bdd8-a969267f4513
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/5167
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus pygargus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/83451925/medium.jpg (Вячеслав Юсупов, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.