Montagu's Harrier

Circus pygargus

Long, slender, and buoyant. Nests in cereal fields, which means farmers must rescue chicks before harvest.

Population: ~150,000-200,000 individuals globally (western Palearctic breeding population ~35,000-50,000 pairs)
Habitat: Open lowland habitats — grasslands, steppe, heaths, moors, dunes, wetland margins/freshwater marshes, and increasingly cereal farmland where it nests on the ground; winters in open habitats including steppes and semi-deserts up to 4,000m elevation
Fun fact: Because Montagu's Harriers nest directly on the ground in cereal fields, conservationists across much of Europe locate and temporarily cage active nests each summer so combine harvesters don't destroy the chicks before fledging.
Range: Breeds across the western Palearctic from Iberia/Portugal and Morocco to the Urals and central Asia; migrates to winter in sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula
Diet: Small rodents (voles, ground squirrels), small birds and their eggs (larks, buntings, pipits), reptiles (including snakes), and large insects (mainly Orthoptera/grasshoppers); occasionally larger prey like partridges and pheasants
Size: 0.45 m
Wingspan: 1.06 m
Lifespan: 16 years

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