• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Climate Change maps
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2024	Least Concern
2016	Least Concern
2013	Least Concern
2012	Least Concern
2009	Least Concern
2008	Least Concern
2004	Least Concern
2000	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988	Lower Risk/Least Concern

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	9,470,000 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	unknown	-	-	-
Population trend	decreasing	-	suspected	-
Generation length	6.1 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The species is reported to be still well represented at some wetland sites in both eastern and southern Africa, especially in Uganda, Botswana and Zambia (Ferguson-Lees et al. 2001). In South Africa, c.3,000-6,000 pairs remain, but populations are declining here (Barnes 2000), as is the case in some other parts of its peripheral range (Brown et al. 1982, Ginn et al. 1989). However, in some huge countries such as Zambia suitable habitat is extensive and the species is still locally common (F. Dowsett-Lemaire and R. J. Dowsett in litt. 2000). The population is declining owing to drainage and damming of wetland habitats, loss of habitat through over-grazing and human disturbance and, possibly, poisoning owing to over-use of pesticides.

Trend justification: The population is declining owing to drainage and damming of wetland habitats, loss of habitat through over-grazing and human disturbance and , possibly, poisoning owing to over-use of pesticides.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Angola	extant	native		yes
Botswana	extant	native		yes
Burundi	extant	native		yes
Central African Republic	extant	uncertain			yes
Congo	extant	native			yes
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the	extant	native		yes
Eswatini	extant	native		yes
Ethiopia	extant	uncertain			yes
Kenya	extant	native		yes
Lesotho	extinct	vagrant			yes
Malawi	extant	native		yes
Mozambique	extant	native		yes
Namibia	extant	native		yes
Nigeria	extant	uncertain			yes
Rwanda	extant	native		yes
Somalia	extant	vagrant			yes
South Africa	extant	native		yes
South Sudan	extant	native	yes
Sudan	extant	native		yes
Tanzania	extant	native			yes
Uganda	extant	native		yes
Zambia	extant	native		yes
Zimbabwe	extant	native		yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial	Arable Land	suitable	resident
Grassland	Subtropical/Tropical Dry	suitable	resident
Wetlands (inland)	Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands	major	resident
Wetlands (inland)	Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)	suitable	resident
Altitude	0 - 4000 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Purpose	Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture	international

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: African Marsh-harrier Circus ranivorus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/african-marsh-harrier-circus-ranivorus on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.