Short Description
Montagu's harriers are medium-sized and very slender birds of prey. The legs are yellow, beak and talons black. The iris is yellow.
Males and females differ greatly in size and appearance. Males are dark grey in colour. The belly is whitish. The tip of the wings is black.
The females are larger and heavier than the males. They are medium brown in colour. On the head they have a narrow dark eye stripe with a broad whitish border above and below the eye.
Birds in juvenile plumage are coloured similarly to females.
Features
Montagu's harrier
Circus pygargus
black wing tips
yellow iris
In the city
Most of the Montagu's harriers living in Germany live in Bavaria, Brandenburg or Lower Saxony. They are mainly concentrated on former moors and along bodies of water. They often build their nests in fields and fields.
Fun Facts
There are about 400 breeding pairs in Germany.
They feed on mice, small birds, reptiles, large insects and small rodents.
During the mating season, the male flies spectacular flights, performing, for example, loops, spirals or swoops.
Montagu's harriers winter in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia.
- Endangerment level Germany: severely endangered
Sources
Weibchen, Hari K Patibanda, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/A_Montague_Harrier_from_Close_%2849515938787%29.jpg
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Männchen, Donald Macauley, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Flickr_-_don_macauley_-_Bird_015.jpg
Male, Cks3976, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Montagu%27s_Harrier_-_Male.JPG
Witt, K. & Steiof, K. (2013) Rote Liste und Liste der Brutvögel von Berlin, 3. version, 15.11.2013. : Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. (eds.) Berliner Ornithologischer Bericht, volume 23, Berlin: Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V., 1-23.
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Brodowski, G. (2007-2021) Die Wiesenweihe, URL: http://www.brodowski-fotografie.de/beobachtungen/wiesenweihe.html (Accessed: 26.03.2021).