Marsh harrier

    Circus aeruginosus

Castilian: Aguilucho lagunero occidental

Catalan: Arpella vulgar

Gallego: Tartaraña das xunqueiras

Euskera: Zingira-mirotza

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Falconiformes

Family: Accipitridae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Destruction of its habitat due to drying up or pollution, illegal hunting, pesticide abuse, nest plundering and lead poisoning.

Length / size: 43-55 cm / 115-140 cm

Identification: Robust, medium-sized bird of prey that is a brown colour and in which marked sexual dimorphism is observed. The male's head and nape are greyish, his lower body is reddish and becomes cream-coloured closer to his breast, and the bottom part of his wings are whitish with black spots. The female is larger, with brownish and chocolate-coloured plumage, but her head, throat and shoulders are yellowish. Melanism and atypical colour patterns are commonly found.

Song: The female's alarm call is a "kweek-eek-eek"; in flight, the male makes a soft "kee-ee-kee" whistling sound.

Diet: It feeds on small mammals (rabbits, rodents), birds, reptiles, and to a lesser extent, amphibians, fish, and eggs.

Reproduction: Courtship begins at the end of winter and involves a complex aerial dance. Then the female builds the nest, made of stalks of river vegetation and branches. Eggs are laid between April and May. The female incubates the eggs while the male is responsible for defending their territory and obtaining food. At first the female cares for the chicks, but when they are grown, both parents are responsible for feeding them.

HABITAT

It depends on wetlands with abundant aquatic vegetation: reeds, cat's-tails and rushes. When hunting, it is usually seen in farmland, wastelands or pastureland. It can also establish itself in vast grain fields.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: The most noteworthy populations are concentrated in the river basins of the Rivers Duero, Tajo and Ebro; in the La Mancha wetlands; and in the Guadalquivir marshes.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the northwestern area of the community, with regular breeding populations in León, Zamora and Valladolid, while it is rare in the rest of the region.

Movements and migrations: The migrant populations from central Europe and the Nordic countries reach our country between September and the first fortnight of October; here they can remain or continue on and cross the Strait of Gibraltar.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of at least 850 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 182 breeding pairs.