Montagu's harrier

    Circus pygargus

Castilian: Aguilucho cenizo

Catalan: Esparver cendrós

Gallego: Tartaraña cincenta

Euskera: Mirotz urdina

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Falconiformes

Family: Accipitridae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Vulnerable” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Vulnerable”.

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THREATS

The harvesting of early variety crops by combine harvesters destroy a large number of eggs, just as changes in traditional farming systems do. This species is also heavily preyed upon by foxes, wild boar and other birds of prey (such as the black kite).

Length / size: 39-46 cm / 102-116 cm

Identification: Medium-sized bird of prey, with long, narrow, pointy wings and a long tail; in general, males have grey plumage and females have brownish plumage. The male's back it typically ash-coloured, and his primary feathers are dark and have a black band; underneath, the colour of his belly is lighter, spotted with brown, his wings have a bar with black dots across them, and his tail has a brownish bar. The female is a reddish-brown colour and her rump is white. In flight this bird's wings form a “V” shape.

Song: The female and juvenile make a "pee-pee" whistling sound; its alarm sound is a fast "cheet-er-cheet-eet".

Diet: It primarily feeds on the plagues that devastate crops (moles, mice, locusts), although it also eats small lizards, snakes, and small birds. It is commonly seen flying above crops in order to search for its prey.

Reproduction: It is a colonial species during breeding season, and the territory it occupies depends on the availability of food. The female builds the nest, made of grain stalks covered with grass, on the ground and, for better access, it pushes down the surrounding reeds. The eggs are laid beginning in late April, and in that period the male is responsible for finding food.

HABITAT

It occupies open spaces, primarily grain fields (wheat and barley). Although it can also be seen in scrubland, wetlands or pastureland.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout most of the peninsula, but is rare on the Cantabrian coast, most of Levante and the southwest, and in mountainous regions above 1,200 metres.

In Castile and León: It is widely distributed throughout the entire community, with Zamora, Palencia, northwestern Valladolid and southeastern León being home to the largest populations.

Movements and migrations: It is a trans-Saharan migratory species that winters in western Africa. They reach our country between late-March and April, and they later leave to go to their wintering areas in mid-July.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 3647-4632 breeding pairs (1994 data).

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 1200-1500 breeding pairs.