Short Description
The western marsh harrier is about the size of a common buzzard, but with a more slender body and narrower winds. The birds fly in V formation.
The male is smaller, lighter and reddish-brown to grey. Its head is pale grey with dark streaks and its wings silver-grey at the centre with black tips. Its tail is also grey and comparatively long.
The female’s plumage is dark-brown throughout with a pale head and shoulders. Her face is marked with a dark stripe from the eye to the back of the head.
Features
Western marsh harrier
Circus aeruginosus
flight in V formation
Rufe
Frommolt, CC BY-SA 3.0
In the city
The western marsh harrier is not an urban bird. It can be observed on lake shores and swamps with extensive reed beds close to the urban fringe.
Despite their protected status, illegal hunting of western marsh harriers and other birds of prey still continues.
Fun Facts
Western marsh harriers build their nests mainly in reedbeds.
Western marsh harriers are one of the few native birds of prey that are migratory.
From March/April, males can be observed performing their acrobatic courtship flights. Feigned attacks, swoops and sudden turns serve to attract female partners.
These migratory birds can be observed in Germany from early April to the middle of September. They spend the winter in the Mediterranean or in tropical Africa.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
Sources
Männchen, Sumeet Moghe, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marsh_Harrier_Male.jpg
im Flug, Boldings, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Marsh_Harrier.jpg
Habitus , Chinmayisk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Circus_aeruginosus_with_prey.JPG
Bejcek, V. (1988) Zugvögel, Hanau/Main: Verlag Werner Dausien.
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.
Page „Rohrweihe“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 26.11.2015, 06:41 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rohrweihe&oldid=148401219 (Accessed: 12.02.2016).
Artenfinder (2016) Circus aeruginosus (Rohrweihe), URL: https://arteninfo.net/elearning/voegel/speciesportrait/2903 (Accessed: 21.04.2016).