Bird Album
Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758)
≈47 cmLength109 cmWingspan311 gWeight
The male is pale gray, with black wingtips and a black band across the secondaries.
Busiest months: September · Most records: Spain, India, Portugal
Looks like Pallid Harrier, Hen Harrier
How to identify
Field marks
- Male pale gray overall, with black wingtips
- Secondaries have a black band on both upperwing and underwing
- Belly and flanks have rusty streaks
- Female upperparts dark brown, uppertail-coverts white
Male, female and young
Adult male pale gray, female underparts mostly pale yellowish-brown; juvenile resembles female, but belly and underwing coverts are unmarked, uniformly reddish-brown.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: September · Most records: Spain, India, Portugal
Montagu's Harrier has been recorded at 962 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 102 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Observatorio de CazallaSpain2,005 records
- Tal Chhapar SanctuaryIndia929 records
- LindusSpain845 records
More places
- Algeciras – Observatorio de AlgarroboSpain764 records
- La Janda – ÁreaSpain743 records
- Azud de RiolobosSpain675 records
- Sakhalvasho Raptor WatchpointGeorgia563 records
- Lagunas de Villafáfila RNat – ÁreaSpain500 records
- El Oso – Laguna y entornoSpain435 records
- Aras Kuş Halkalama İstasyonuTürkiye426 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) is a species of harrier, a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It breeds in large open areas in the Palearctic and is migratory, wintering in Africa, the Indian subcontinent and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Montagu's Harrier?
The Montagu's Harrier is about ≈47 cm long, with a wingspan of 109 cm and weighs around 311 g.
Where does the Montagu's Harrier live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: western Europe and northwestern Africa to Central Asia. It is most often recorded in Spain, India and Portugal.
When is the best time to see the Montagu's Harrier?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Montagu's Harrier endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Montagu's Harrier as Least Concern.
What does the Montagu's Harrier eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Montagu's Harrier in?
It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈47 cm
- Wingspan
- 109 cm
- Weight
- 311 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 362 mm
- Tail
- 225 mm
- Bill
- 26 mm
- Tarsus
- 62 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: western Europe and northwestern Africa to Central Asia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
- Genus
- Circus
Other birds in the genus Circus
Spotted HarrierCircus assimilis
Pallid HarrierCircus macrourus
Black HarrierCircus maurus
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
Northern HarrierCircus hudsonius
Cinereous HarrierCircus cinereus
Long-winged HarrierCircus buffoni
Pied HarrierCircus melanoleucos
Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorus
Eastern Marsh HarrierCircus spilonotus
Papuan HarrierCircus spilothorax
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dmitry P.. ↗
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