Montagu's Harrier

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Montagu's Harrier
Male Montagu's Harrier in Kenya

Male Montagu's Harrier in Kenya

Systematics
Subclass : New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order : Birds of prey (Accipitriformes)
Family : Hawk species (Accipitridae)
Subfamily : Consecrations (Circinae)
Genre : Consecration ( circus )
Type : Montagu's Harrier
Scientific name
Circus pygargus
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The Montagu's Harrier ( Circus pygargus ) is a bird of prey from the hawk family (Accipitridae). Like many species of the genus Circus , the Montagu's Harrier also shows a strong sexual dimorphism in terms of size and color. The distribution area extends over large parts of the western and central Palearctic . The species inhabits large areas of open, moist to dry habitats such as silting zones, fens and steppes as well as agricultural areas with a comparable vegetation structure, especially grain fields. In Central Europe, the settlement of agricultural areas, supported by targeted protection, has increased significantly in the last few decades. Montagu's harriers are long-distance migrants, they overwinter in sub-Saharan Africa and in southern Asia. In parts of Europe there were drastic population declines in the 20th century due to habitat destruction, but the species is now safe worldwide.

description

Montagu's harriers are medium-sized, but very slender and light birds of prey. The body length is 39–50 cm, the wingspan 96–116 cm. Like many species of the genus Circus , the Montagu's Harrier also shows a strong sexual dimorphism in terms of size and color. Adult males from Europe weigh 227–305 g, which is the weight of a street pigeon . They have a wing length of 342 to 389 mm, on average 364 mm. Females reach a weight of 319–445 g and a wing length of 350–388 mm, on average 371 mm.

Photo of a flying Montagu's Harrier
Male in flight

In adult males, the head, upper side of the trunk, the upper wing coverts and the underside of the trunk up to the middle of the abdomen are solid dark gray. From the middle of the abdomen up to and including the lower tail covers, the trunk is whitish, the middle of the abdomen is more or less vigorously fine rust-brown dashed. The large hand and arm covers on the upper side are gray-white, on the lower side they show strong red-brown lines and spots on a gray-white background. The arm wings are also light gray with a black cross band on the top and two bands on the bottom. The wings are black on the top and bottom. Overall, the upper side of the wings is clearly three-colored dark gray, white gray and black. The control feathers are banded in darker gray on a light gray background, the middle pair of control feathers is monochrome dark gray.

Female Montagu's Harrier

Adult females are monochrome medium brown on the top of the head, back neck, back and upper wing coverts, the small arm coverts are somewhat lightened in the middle of the wing. The wings are banded blackish on top on a gray-brownish background and also show a blackish tip. The rump is clearly contrasting white. The control feathers are banded in black on a light brown background and show a wide black end band. The bottom is significantly lighter overall. Neck, upper trunk and the small under wing-coverts are dotted with strong brown dots on a light beige background, the dotted lines become weaker towards the lower abdomen. The middle and large elytra are strongly reddish brown cross-banded underneath. The undersides of the wings and control feathers are broadly banded from dark brown to black on a light gray background and show a wide, dark end band. The head shows a narrow, dark stripe of eyes, which is bordered above and below the eye with a wide whitish color. The broad cheek band is dark brown.

Birds in juvenile plumage are colored similar to adult females on the upper side, but the arm wings are almost monochrome dark gray-brown. On the underside, however, they differ significantly from adult females. The throat, the entire trunk including the leg fletching and the under tail coverts as well as the under wing coverts are almost monochrome, strong rust brown. For this reason, the sides of the chest often show fine, dark dotted lines, while the middle and large under wing coverts show stronger dotted lines. The tips of the hand wings are blackish on the underside, and the wings are very dark and banded with little contrast.

The iris is yellow in adult birds, gray in males in juvenile dress, and brown in females in juvenile dress. Wax skin and legs are yellow in all clothes, the beak and claws are black.

Vocalizations

The male's courtship calls consist of lined up, nasal calls, which can be reproduced with "kä-kä-kä" or "kjäh-kjäh-kjäh". When there is a threat at the nest, both partners utter quick calls that sound like "chit-er-chit-er-chit-it-it-it". The call constantly used by young birds when begging is a thin "pii-ii".

Distribution area of ​​the Montagu's Harrier:
  • Breeding areas
  • migration
  • Wintering areas

    • distribution and habitat

    The distribution area of ​​the Montagu's Harrier covers large parts of the south-western Palearctic from North Africa through southern and central Europe to western and central Siberia. The northern limit of the distribution is in southern Great Britain and southern Sweden, further east in southwest Finland and finally in Siberia at about 56 ° 30 ′ N.

    The species inhabits large open, moist habitats such as wide river valleys, silting areas, moors, but also drier habitats such as steppes, heaths, agricultural areas and young afforestations. In Central Europe, the clumps were mainly created in the area of ​​siltation zones and there especially in the transition area from the reed to the sedge and in areas with sparse reeds that are even further away from open water . These habitats have been almost completely destroyed in Central Europe, but in the last few decades the species has been colonizing intensively used agricultural areas with a comparable vegetation structure, especially cereal fields. Montagu's harriers hunt over the areas that also serve as breeding habitats; Couples breeding in the fields mainly use the surrounding fallow land for hunting.

    Systematics

    No subspecies are recognized for the Montagu's Harrier. According to molecular genetic studies, the species is quite isolated within the genus Circus and has no actual sister taxon .

    Hunting style and diet

    Male Montagu's Harrier

    Montagu's harriers hunt over open terrain like other harriers mainly in a low, swinging search flight with wings held slightly upwards. The prey is surprised on the ground from a short distance and grabbed, the very agile Montagu's Harriers try to grab frightened small birds by turning their bodies at lightning speed, even in the air. If the prey bird then escapes, however, it will not be pursued any further. The main food consists of small mammals such as voles and small birds, in addition, larger insects such as grasshoppers, dragonflies and beetles are eaten very often, and occasionally also carrion (e.g. from the edges of the motorway). In southern Europe in particular, lizards can also make up a significant part of the diet.

    In the African winter quarters, the food spectrum is evidently much narrower than in the breeding area, where the main prey are locusts .

    Reproduction

    The courtship begins with the arrival of the male in the breeding area. It consists primarily of spectacular sightseeing flights by the male, rarely by both partners. The male shows waves flying at great heights, loops , swoops with twisting turns, sudden turns and an uncontrolled spin, similar to a falling leaf. The male calls out frequently. These mating flights are usually accompanied by the female at a lower altitude or pursued while sitting. The courtship also includes mock attacks by the male on the female, which the female throws on her back to defend against, as well as sliding and circling together. Often the male has prey with him during these courtship flights, which it then passes on to the female, which is then followed by mating.

    Montagu's harriers usually lead a monogamous seasonal marriage. Males also courtship after the egg-laying has started, which is why bigamy occasionally occurs , i.e. mating with a second female.

    Egg,     Museum Wiesbaden collection
    Montagu's Harrier nestlings
    Meadow consecration in youth dress on Gozo

    Like most consecrations, the species is ground breeder. The nest is usually directly on the ground on a dry to slightly damp surface, only very rarely on a very wet surface. The vegetation at the breeding site must neither be too high nor too dense. Usually it is about 1 m high, in tall reeds nests are only built in larger gaps. In Central Europe, winter barley is usually chosen for breeding in grain fields , as this is usually high enough when the breeding birds arrive. Between 1993 and 1996, of 197 nests in the Hellwegbörde in North Rhine-Westphalia, 75.6% were in winter barley, 12.2% in seed grass, 5.6% in wheat, 4.1% in rye, 2.0% in rapeseed and 0.5% in set-aside areas. With a suitable breeding habitat and in favorable years, the broods can be very close together, a maximum of 43 nests were found in a field of 1.5 km² in 1998 in the Estremadura. The mostly very shallow nest is built from dry plants such as grass and reeds and also from small twigs. The outer diameter is usually 35–40 cm, sometimes up to 80 cm. The start of laying varies depending on the geographical distribution. In Morocco, eggs are laid from mid-April, in Central Europe only exceptionally in early May, mostly from mid-May to early June. The clutch consists of 2–6, mostly 3–5 eggs. The eggs are mostly pure white, only occasionally spotted reddish brown. Eggs from Germany measured an average of 41.3 × 33.3 mm, larger samples of eggs from other parts of Central Europe deviated only slightly from this. The incubation period is 28–30 days, the nestling period 30–35 days. In Central Europe, the young birds fledge from mid-July.

    The incubation of the eggs as well as the feeding and guarding of the nestlings is carried out almost exclusively by the female until about 14 days after they hatch, and during this time the male provides them with food. Then the female begins to hunt again. At 35 days the young birds can already fly well, but are still often on foot in the vicinity of the nest. At the age of 40 days, the young birds can chase each other's prey from each other in flight. Around the age of 50 they start hunting for prey in the nesting area themselves.

    hikes

    Montagu's harriers are long-distance migrants , they overwinter in sub-Saharan Africa and in southern Asia. The winter quarters in Africa extend from the southern edge of the Sahara to the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. In Asia the winter area stretches from southeastern Iran via Pakistan, Nepal and large parts of India to Sri Lanka , the Maldives and the Andamans . The withdrawal from the breeding areas takes place from the end of July / beginning of August, reaches its peak in mid to late August and is normally completed in the north of the European distribution area in mid-September.

    The Montagu's Harriers of Western and Central Europe probably migrate mainly via France and Spain or via Italy to Africa. Two adult females, which were provided with satellite transmitters in the Netherlands in 2005, moved east from the breeding areas in mid-August and initially stayed in several places in northern and central Germany for a few days. One female actually began to move out at the end of August, she flew from Germany to the southwest and reached Morocco via France and Spain on September 25th, after which the transmitter failed. The second female, however, flew from Germany to the southeast and then stayed in the Czech Republic for a few days at the end of August. It then apparently flew over Italy and Algeria across the Sahara and reached its winter quarters in Niger on September 21.

    In a further investigation in 2006 in northwest Spain, 10 adult Montagu's Harriers were equipped with satellite transmitters, 6 of which could be tracked into their winter quarters. These birds also initially showed an undirected migration from the breeding area, one individual initially even moved against the later direction of migration to the northeast to southern France. The actual withdrawal took place between July 25th and September 3rd, when all the birds flew to Africa via southern Spain. The winter quarters of all birds were in a narrow north-south direction, but more than 1000 km long in east-west direction in the Sahel zone in the area of ​​the border between Mali and Mauritania . This area was reached by the first bird on August 7th and the last one on October 2nd.

    The return journey in Gibraltar lasts from late March to early May. The first observations in the breeding area are made in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria from mid-April, in Schleswig-Holstein in the 1960s on average on April 21, and in Brandenburg in the 1990s on April 14 at the earliest.

    Existence and endangerment

    The European population was estimated by Birdlife International in 2004 at 35,000–65,000 breeding pairs, the majority of which live in Russia with 20,000–35,000 pairs alone. Other large stocks in Europe have Spain with at least 4900, France with 3800-5100, Poland with 1300-2500 and Belarus 3000-5000 pairs. The world population was estimated at around 100,000 pairs by Birdlife International in 2009.

    The population development has been changeable in the last 100 years or so. At least in Western and Central Europe, from around the mid-1920s onwards, there was a drastic collapse in populations due to the extensive destruction of the original habitats through drainage and intensive agricultural use of the lowlands and moors, river regulation and the general intensification of use of the open landscape. The population in the Netherlands shrank from around 500–1000 pairs between 1900 and 1930 to 14–15 in 1990/1991, and in Brandenburg from 46–54 pairs in 1969 and 1970 to a maximum of 1 pair at the end of the 1980s .

    In Europe, however, a population increase has been recorded since around 1970, which has accelerated significantly since 1990 due to large-scale fallow land. The population increase since 1990 has manifested itself in Europe in a strong increase in broods on agricultural land. These broods are generally endangered by harvest dates before mid-July; According to estimates, without protection, the nest pups would be killed by the combine harvesters in at least 60% of the grain fry. Regional working groups have therefore been set up in many countries to protect the broods.

    The protection concepts essentially include:

    • the early localization of the breeding sites,
    • informing the farmers concerned
    • the designation of a protection zone around the nest, usually an area of ​​50 × 50 m, on which the farmer puts the harvest back. The farmer is usually compensated by government agencies for the loss of the harvest.

    The control of the clutches from the air has also proven its worth in some places, as it does not leave any scent traces to the nest that could attract predators such as the fox.

    In the Netherlands the population increased from 1991 to 2001 to 35–45 pairs, in Germany to 410–470 pairs in 2007. The species is now in category 2 (endangered) in Germany's Red List. Worldwide the IUCN regards the species as harmless today.

    Current situation in Germany

    From 2004 to 2014 the number of breeding pairs or breeding females in Germany fluctuated between 289 and 450. There were also massive population changes between individual years. The brood population increased by 40% from 2006 to 2007 and fell by 23% from 2012 to 2013. These extreme changes in the population are explained by the uniform development of the population of the main prey, the field mouse , over a large area. In the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt , Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg , the breeding population increased by over 10% in the period 2004–2007 compared to 2011–2014. In contrast, the stocks in the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania decreased by more than 10%. The reason for the decrease in North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is assumed to be the high density of wind turbines in these countries. About 90% of the Montagu's Harrier's nests in Germany are in arable crops. Because of the protective measures, only around 10% of the nests in arable crops were destroyed by the grain harvest from 2004 onwards. Since 2003, around two thirds of the nests have been set up protection zones with a size of 0.08–0.25 hectares, which were not harvested until the young left. The proportion of nests that were additionally or only protected with a wire fence, lattice fence or electric fence increased from approx. 16% in the period from 2003 to 2007 to 22% in the period from 2011 to 2014. In order to maintain the meadow harrier in Germany the maintenance of the nest protection to the current extent is seen as a basic requirement.

    swell

    Individual evidence

    1. ^ Lars Svensson, Peter J. Grant, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström: Der neue Kosmos Vogelführer . Kosmos, Stuttgart; 1999: p. 86. ISBN 3-440-07720-9
    2. ↑ UN Glutz v. Blotzheim and KM Bauer & E. Bezzel: Handbook of the birds of Central Europe . Vol. 4th, 2nd edition, AULA-Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1989: p. 384
    3. ↑ UN Glutz v. Blotzheim, KM Bauer & E. Bezzel: Handbook of the birds of Central Europe . Vol. 4th, 2nd edition, AULA-Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1989, ISBN 3-89104-460-7 , pp. 384-385
    4. ↑ L. Svensson, PJ Grant, K. Mullarney, D. Zetterström: The new cosmos bird guide . Kosmos, Stuttgart; 1999: p. 86. ISBN 3-440-07720-9
    5. ^ M. Wink in RE Simmons: Harriers of the world: their behavior and ecology. Oxford University Press, 2000: pp. 24-25. ISBN 0-19-854964-4
    6. ↑ R. Limiñana, A. Soutullo, V. Urios: Autumn migration of Montagu's Harriers Circus pygargus tracked by satellite telemetry. J. Ornithol. 148, 2007: p. 520
    7. ^ M. Pandolfi and A. Barocci: Analysis of Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus Aerial Display during Courtship, In: In: B.-U. Meyburg, RD Chancellor (Ed.): Raptor conservation Today . Berlin, London, Paris: pp. 187–192.
    8. ↑ M. Hölker: Population, distribution and protection of the Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) in North Rhine-Westphalia 1993 to 1996. Annual report on the monitoring of birds of prey and owls in Europe 9, 1997: pp. 107–114
    9. ↑ T. Mebs & D. Schmidt: The birds of prey in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-09585-1 : p. 274
    10. ↑ UN Glutz v. Blotzheim and KM Bauer & E. Bezzel: Handbook of the birds of Central Europe . Vol. 4th, 2nd edition, AULA-Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1989: p. 399
    11. ↑ C. Trierweiler, BJ Koks, RH Drent, K.-M. Exo, J. Komdeur, C. Dijkstra & F. Bairlein: Satellite tracking of two Montagu's Harriers (Circus pygargus): dual pathways during autumn migration. J. Ornithol. 148, 2007: pp. 513-516
    12. ↑ R. Limiñana, A. Soutullo, V. Urios: Autumn migration of Montagu's Harriers Circus pygargus tracked by satellite telemetry. J. Ornithol. 148, 2007: pp. 517-523
    13. ↑ UN Glutz v. Blotzheim and KM Bauer & E. Bezzel: Handbook of the birds of Central Europe . Vol. 4th, 2nd edition, AULA-Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1989: p. 396
    14. ^ M. Kolbe & B. Ludwig: Meadow consecration - Circus pygargus . In: Association of Berlin-Brandenburg Ornithologists (ABBO): The bird world of Brandenburg and Berlin . Natur & Text, Rangsdorf 2001, pp. 174–175, ISBN 3-9807627-5-0 .
    15. ↑ T. Mebs & D. Schmidt: The birds of prey in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-09585-1 : p. 272
    16. ↑ a b Detailed species account from Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status (BirdLife International 2004) (English)
    17. ↑ RG Bilsma, F. Hustings and Kees (CJ) Camphuysen: Algemene en schaarse bird van Nederland . GMB Uitgeverij / KNNV Uitgeverij, Haarlem / Utrecht 2001, pp. 148-149, ISBN 90-74345-21-2
    18. ^ M. Kolbe & B. Ludwig: Meadow consecration - Circus pygargus . In: Association of Berlin-Brandenburg Ornithologists (ABBO): The bird world of Brandenburg and Berlin . Natur & Text, Rangsdorf 2001, pp. 172–173, ISBN 3-9807627-5-0 .
    19. ↑ T. Mebs & D. Schmidt: The birds of prey in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-09585-1 : p. 278
    20. ↑ z. BM Hölker: Existence, distribution and protection of the Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) in North Rhine-Westphalia 1993 to 1996. Annual report on the monitoring of birds of prey and owls in Europe 9, 1997: pp. 107–114
    21. ↑ T. Mebs & D. Schmidt: The birds of prey in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-09585-1 : pp. 278-279
    22. ↑ Fewer breeding pairs, but the best reproduction rate. www.augsburger-allgemeine.de, August 18, 2014
    23. ↑ P. Südbeck, H.-G. Bauer, M. Boschert, P. Boye, & W. Knief: Red List of Breeding Birds in Germany, 4th version, November 30, 2007. Ber. Vogelschutz 44, 2007: pp. 23–81
    24. ↑ Christoph Grüneberg, Hans-Günther Bauer, Heiko Haupt, Ommo Hüppop, Torsten Ryslavy, Peter Südbeck: Red List of Germany's Breeding Birds , 5 version . In: German Council for Bird Protection (Hrsg.): Reports on bird protection . tape 52 , November 30, 2015.
    25. ↑ Hubertus Illner: Breeding population of the Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus and nest protection measures in Germany from 2003 to 2014. Vogelwelt 137: 305-317

    literature

    Web links

    Commons : Meadow Harrier  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
    Wiktionary: Meadow consecration  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
    This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on August 12, 2009 .