Data Zone
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Near Threatened | A2cde+3cde+4cde |
| 2018 | Near Threatened | A2cde+3cde+4cde |
| 2017 | Near Threatened | A2cde+3cde+4cde |
| 2016 | Near Threatened | A2cde+3cde+4cde |
| 2013 | Near Threatened | A2cde+3cde+4cde |
| 2012 | Near Threatened | A2cde+3cde+4cde |
| 2008 | Near Threatened | A2c,d,e; A3c,d,e; A4c,d,e |
| 2006 | Near Threatened | |
| 2004 | Near Threatened | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | low |
| Land-mass type |
continent |
Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 10,900,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 57,600,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 18000-30000 mature individuals | medium | estimated | 2003 |
| Population trend | decreasing | poor | suspected | 2016-2033 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 10-20% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 10-20% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 10-20% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 5.68 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The global population is estimated at 9,000-15,000 pairs (Galushin et al. 2003), equating to 18,000-30,000 mature individuals. The European population is estimated at 1,000-2,200 breeding pairs, which roughly equates to 2,000-4,400 mature individuals (BirdLife International in prep.).
Trend justification: Assessment of population trends in this species is complicated by the fact that on breeding territories numbers fluctuate in response to environmental conditions, probably to changing numbers of small mammals. Thus, high or low territory numbers in any given year or two-year period may be indicative of change in demographics, or they may be indicative of change in local environment, while the birds may breed elsewhere without their population size changing. A 13-year data study in north-central Kazakhstan revealed that its numbers and reproductive success vary cyclically, peaking every c. 6 years, in response to interannual variation in local vole densities; these cycles were asynchronous between regions, suggesting a regional redistribution of birds between years (Terraube et al. 2012a). Large numbers of Pallid Harriers in Finland have also been associated with peaks in vole populations (Henry 2018).
A large decline occurred in Europe during 1970-1990 (Tucker and Heath 1994), when up to 30% of birds were lost (particularly from the key population in European Russia), and the species continued to decline in 1990-2000, when overall trends exceeded 30% over three generations (17 years) (BirdLife International 2004). More recently, the European population trend was assessed as stable in the 2021 European Red List of Birds (BirdLife International in prep.), partly due to an increasing breeding population in Northern Europe (Keller et al. 2020). Europe comprises about 40% of the species’ global breeding range, but holds a much smaller proportion of the global population, as the larger proportion is concentrated in Central Asia, especially in southern Russia and Kazakhstan (Galushin et al. 2003). When last assessed, surveys in the Kustanay Oblast region (northern Kazakhstan) from 1997 to 2004 indicated a fluctuating but ostensibly stable population of 1,500–2,000 pairs, nesting at a density of 9.4–25 pairs per 100 km2 (Bragin 1999, E. Bragin in litt. 2005). Anecdotal evidence from southern Kazakhstan (Almaty to Chockpack Bird Station) suggested that it was locally abundant (A. Corso in litt. 2005). A survey of harrier roost sites in India from 1985-2015 found a declining trend in the number of overwintering Pallid Harriers, although the trend was not statistically significant (Ganesh & Prashanth 2018). However, roost counts in southern India during 2015-2019 found a significant decline in male Pallid Harriers (Saravanan et al. 2021).
The partly nomadic nature of the species and its fluctuating numbers make an assessment of the overall trend problematic. With the population estimated to be stable in Europe, but a potentially significant decline reported from overwintering sites in India, a moderately rapid decline of 10-20% continues to be suspected on a precautionary basis until better data are available from its core breeding range in Central Asia.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Albania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Algeria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Angola | extant | native | yes | |||
| Armenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Bahrain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bangladesh | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Belarus | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | |||
| Benin | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bhutan | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Botswana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | extant | native | yes | |||
| Burundi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cameroon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Central African Republic | extant | native | yes | |||
| Chad | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extant | native | yes | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | native | yes | |||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cyprus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Czechia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | |||
| Djibouti | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Egypt | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Eritrea | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Estonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Eswatini | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Ethiopia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Finland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| France | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gambia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Georgia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ghana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Hungary | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iceland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| India | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Israel | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | |||
| Japan | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Jordan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kenya | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kuwait | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Latvia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lebanon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lesotho | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Liberia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Libya | extant | native | yes | |||
| Liechtenstein | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Luxembourg | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Malawi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malaysia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Maldives | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mali | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malta | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mauritania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Moldova | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mongolia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mozambique | extant | native | yes | |||
| Myanmar | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Namibia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nepal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | |||
| Niger | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Nigeria | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | native | yes | |||
| Oman | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Pakistan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Palestine | extant | native | yes | |||
| Qatar | extant | native | yes | |||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Rwanda | extant | native | yes | |||
| Saudi Arabia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Senegal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sierra Leone | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovakia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Somalia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| South Africa | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Sudan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sri Lanka | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sudan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | |||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Syria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Tajikistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tanzania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Togo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tunisia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uganda | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Kingdom | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Uzbekistan | possibly extinct | native | yes | |||
| Vietnam | extinct | vagrant | ||||
| 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 |
| Forest | Boreal | suitable | breeding |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Temperate | major | breeding |
| Savanna | Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | breeding |
| 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 - Small-holder farming | 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 | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Droughts | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/pallid-harrier-circus-macrourus on 25/12/2024.
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 25/12/2024.