Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain

October 2007, Montagu’s Harrier – Circus pygargus

montagu_harrier

Continuing our look at the migrating raptors brings us to the Montagu’s Harrier. This is a silver grey, long pointed winged, elegant raptor. The male has one black wing bar on top of the wings and two below. During the summer it will have bred in the meadows in valleys like that of the Genal and in the Doñana. It feeds on small rodents, lizards, larks and the young birds of the wader families. It is easily confused with the Hen Harrier, Circus cyaneus, that is a broader, bulkier, similarly marked bird. One way to tell them apart is the season. As the Montagu’s leave in September/October, the Hen arrives to spend the winter here. The Montagu will return in March/April as the Hen is departing for more Northern climes.