Montagu's harrier
Circus pygargus
Stefan C · Dedoplistskaro, Kakheti Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 43–47 cm, wingspan 0.97–1.15 m
- Diet
- Rodents, small birds, reptiles, grasshoppers
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding bird and passage migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kakheti; Adjara; Mtskheta-Mtianeti; Shida Kartli; Kvemo Kartli; Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
- Habitat
- Steppe, meadows, crop fields, dry marshes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Protection
- Globally LC (2021); in Georgia LC (2024)
Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) is a medium-sized bird of prey: it is 43–47 cm long, with a wingspan of 0.97–1.15 m. The male weighs 265 g on average and the female 345 g. Its wings are large for its body, so in flight it looks bigger than it is. The male is pale grey with black wingtips, and the female is brown with a white rump. It is harmless to people. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird and passage migrant. Most observations fall in April–May and September. It occurs in Kakheti, Adjara, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli, Kvemo Kartli and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC).
Identification
Montagu's harrier: how to identify it
A medium-sized harrier with very narrow, long wings and pointed wingtips. The male is pale grey with black wingtips and a narrow black bar along the wing. The female is dark brown above with a white rump. It flies low, lightly and with raised wings over open country.
It is 43–47 cm long, with a 16–18 cm tail and a wingspan of 0.97–1.15 m. The male weighs 265 g on average and the female 345 g. The female is larger than the male, although this is hard to see in the field.
The male is pale grey with black wingtips. A narrow black bar runs along the wing, above and below, and it has rusty streaks on the belly and flanks. The female is plain dark brown above with a white rump, and pale yellowish brown below with streaks. The juvenile is plain reddish brown below. Wholly dark, almost black or chocolate-brown birds also occur at times.
Circus cyaneus is bulkier, with broader wings and a shorter tail. The male Circus macrourus is paler and cleaner, without a black bar on the wing. Females and juveniles of these two species are the hardest to tell apart: the female and juvenile Circus macrourus have a pale collar on the neck, which Montagu's harrier lacks.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It is mainly a lowland bird, though it breeds up to 1,500 m. For nesting it chooses broad river valleys, plains, flat land along lakes and coasts, steppe, shrubland and wetlands that are smaller and drier than those of the marsh harrier. Where open land is short it nests in cereal fields: wheat, barley, oats and rapeseed. It needs tall grass for the nest and low, sparse vegetation for hunting, where prey is easier to see. It avoids densely settled areas and is very sensitive to disturbance. In Georgia most records come from Kakheti, Adjara, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli and Kvemo Kartli. Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti also has enough records, mostly from August. In Adjara most observations fall in September, on the autumn migration. In late May and June it is seen in Kakheti, in Dedoplistskaro and Sagarejo Municipalities, and in Shida Kartli at Lake Nadarbazevi and in Gori Municipality. In Samtskhe-Javakheti, Tbilisi, Guria and Abkhazia there are only a few records.
The Montagu's harrier map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Six regions have enough records: Kakheti, Adjara, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli, Kvemo Kartli and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It eats small rodents, small birds and their eggs, reptiles including snakes, and large insects, most often grasshoppers and crickets. It hunts in typical harrier fashion: it flies low and slowly, at about 30 km/h, along the same routes and takes prey by surprise. During breeding the male feeds the female and the chicks and passes prey in the air: the female flies below him and catches the dropped prey in mid-air. The male hunts up to 12 km from the nest, the female within 1 km.
It is a long-distance migrant. It winters in sub-Saharan Africa and on the Indian subcontinent. It leaves its breeding grounds in August and September and returns in March and April, with the spring passage strongest in April. In Georgia most observations fall in April–May and August–September. It usually hunts alone, but often gathers to roost in groups of more than 50 birds, sometimes together with pallid and marsh harriers. In spring the male and female perform elaborate aerial displays, calling loudly. Pairs often nest in loose colonies: one area may hold up to 30 nests, sometimes only 10 m apart. The female builds the nest of grass in tall vegetation. She lays 3–5 eggs and incubates them for 27–40 days. The young leave the nest after 28–42 days and become independent two weeks later. It first breeds at 2–3 years old.
Globally Montagu's harrier is rated Least Concern (LC, 2021). There are 300,000–550,000 mature birds, and numbers are probably falling. On the breeding grounds the main threat is the conversion of its habitat to arable land: combine harvesters destroy nests in fields, and ever earlier harvests raise the risk. Pesticides, wind farms, illegal killing and a warming climate are also a danger. On the wintering grounds the threats are chemical locust control, drought, heavy grazing and the burning of vegetation. Across much of Europe nests are protected by fencing them or by harvesting late around them. The species is listed in Appendix II of CITES and of the Bonn and Bern Conventions. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it Least Concern in Georgia (LC).
Related guides
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird and passage migrant. It is seen most often in April–May and September.
In Kakheti, Adjara, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli, Kvemo Kartli and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, over open steppe and fields. In Adjara it is seen mainly in September, on migration.
The male Montagu's harrier has a narrow black bar on the wing and rusty streaks on the belly, while the male pallid harrier is paler and cleaner. In females the main sign is the collar: the female pallid harrier has a pale collar on the neck, Montagu's does not.
On the ground, in tall vegetation: in steppe, meadows, shrubland, dry marshes and often in cereal fields. In fields, combine harvesters often destroy the nest at harvest time.
It is 43–47 cm long, with a wingspan of 0.97–1.15 m. The male weighs 265 g on average and the female 345 g.
Small rodents, birds and their eggs, lizards and snakes, as well as grasshoppers and other large insects.
Montagu's harrier is harmless to people. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), although its numbers are falling. The species is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
