Montagu's Harrier

Habitat: Extensive, flat meadows and preferably marshy, rugged terrain with scattered shrubs. The manual farming practices of earlier centuries must have made the landscape in many parts of Central Europe ideal for the Montagu’s harrier. However, the land reclamation policies of recent decades have caused it to disappear from most areas. Today, it is one of the most endangered bird species in Europe. The Montagu’s Harrier rests on the ground, never in trees or on poles.

Appearance: Summer visitor in large parts of temperate Europe, often in fairly large numbers. In Belgium and the Netherlands, it is an extremely rare breeding bird – migratory – passing through in very small numbers.

Breeding season: May to August, ground nest – The nest is a primitive structure made of all kinds of materials, but is usually well hidden among reeds or in bushes. 3 to 5 eggs.

Characteristics: Length 39 – 50 cm, wingspan 96 – 116 cm, weight 300 – 445 grams, age over 16 years.

Food: During its swaying search flight, the Montagu’s harrier hovers low above its hunting ground. It hunts anything that lives on the ground and is smaller than a rat. Its main prey consists of small mammals, but it also catches young birds, eggs and ground-dwelling birds such as larks and pipits. Its largest prey is the quail. It supplements this diet with insects, such as dragonflies that are unable to fly in the morning chill. It tears anything larger than a cockchafer into pieces before swallowing it.