Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
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.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 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 | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 18,000,000 km2 | |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 45,900,000 km2 | |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 300000-550000 mature individuals | poor | suspected | 2021 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | suspected | - |
| Generation length | 5.59 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The European population is estimated at 69,700-110,000 breeding females, which equates to 139,000-219,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International In prep.). Europe forms approximately 41% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 339,000-534,000 mature individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed. It is placed in the band 300,000 to 550,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification: The global population is suspected to be decreasing owing to agricultural intensification and destruction of nests by farm machinery, over-use of pesticides and improved locust control, and loss of small mammal and bird prey species due to changing agricultural practices (Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). The European breeding population is thought to be decreasing by more than 10% over three generations (BirdLife International In prep.). Very little information is available on Asian breeding populations. Roost counts of overwintering birds in India during 1985-2015 found no significant decline of this species, despite overall declines in harrier numbers (Ganesh & Prashant 2018), however analysis of sightings of Montagu's Harrier in India logged on eBird suggested a moderate decline over the last 25 years (SoIB 2020).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Albania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Algeria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Andorra | extant | native | yes | |||
| Armenia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Bahrain | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Bangladesh | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Belarus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Benin | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Botswana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | extant | native | yes | |||
| Burundi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cameroon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cape Verde | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Central African Republic | extant | native | yes | |||
| Chad | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Congo | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extant | native | yes | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | native | yes | |||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cyprus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Czechia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Djibouti | extant | native | yes | |||
| Egypt | extant | native | yes | |||
| Eritrea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Estonia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Eswatini | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ethiopia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Finland | extant | native | yes | |||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Gambia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Georgia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ghana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Hungary | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iceland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| India | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ireland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Israel | extant | native | yes | |||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Jordan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kenya | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kuwait | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Latvia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Lebanon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lesotho | extant | native | yes | |||
| Liberia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Libya | extant | native | yes | |||
| Liechtenstein | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lithuania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Luxembourg | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Malawi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Maldives | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mali | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Malta | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mauritania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Moldova | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Morocco | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mozambique | extant | native | yes | |||
| Namibia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nepal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Niger | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nigeria | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Norway | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Oman | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Pakistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Palestine | extant | native | yes | |||
| Poland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Qatar | extant | native | yes | |||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Rwanda | extant | native | yes | |||
| Saudi Arabia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Senegal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sierra Leone | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Slovakia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Somalia | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Africa | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Sudan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sri Lanka | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sudan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | |||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Syria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tajikistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tanzania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Togo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tunisia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uganda | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Kingdom | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uzbekistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Western Sahara | extant | native | yes | |||
| Yemen | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Zambia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Zimbabwe | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 4000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Shifting agriculture | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Persecution/control | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Droughts | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Medicine - human & veterinary | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/montagus-harrier-circus-pygargus on 26/12/2024.
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 26/12/2024.