Tailing the Montagu's Harrier

Migrating Montagu’s harriers face a host of dangers, from changes in farming practices to illegal hunting in the Mediterranean. The key to saving this graceful raptor could lie in its little-known wintering range, the African Sahel. In 2014 a small team of researchers from the Dutch Montagu's Harrier Foundation travelled to Senegal to shed light on the birds' enigmatic wintering behavior with a cutting-edge tracking system.

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In most of Europe, natural breeding habitats of Montagu's harriers have disappeared, forcing them into farmland. 60% of farmland nests would be destroyed in the absence of nest protection. Here, a combine passes by a protected Montagu's harrier nest in Groningen, the Netherlands.

NB: This is a composite photo. Chicks of this age may flutter out of the cage from fear of the noise and end up in the combine harvester. For this reason, they were temporarily removed from the nest by Dutch Montagu's Harrier Foundation staff. Unfortunately, the pictured situation does occur as the Foundation is often not alerted when the harvest takes place.

Accipitridae Accipitriformes Animalia Aves Chordata Circus pygargus Europe Groningen Montagu's harrier The Netherlands animal bird bird of prey chordate cultural landscape cultuurlandschap dier farmland gewervelde grauwe kiekendief nature natuur terrestrial wild