Montagu's-Harrier-females_6456
Quite often I have come across competing females during the breeding season, such as I encountered in Cadiz Province, Andalucia, Spain on a fine spring day just after dawn.
Here, two females are having a aerial battle as a male sits below and watches. No feathers were lost but the acrobatics of these slim structures female Montagu's Harriers was like pure poetry in motion. Beautiful memories last forever.
The Montagu's Harrier is a migratory bird of prey. Adult males are characterised by their overall pale grey plumage contrasting with black wingtips. Adult females have mostly pale yellow-brown underparts, the belly with longitudinal stripes and spotted wing coverts. The upper-parts are uniform dark brown except for the white upper tail coverts ("rump"), and the sightly paler central wing coverts. The juvenile birds resemble the females, but their belly and underwing coverts are not spotted, but uniformly red-brown in colour.
Montagu's Harriers breed in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Birds from Eurasia spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa, while those from the eastern part of the range migrate to the Indian subcontinent. In Europe, they travel over a broad front, crossing the Mediterranean at various points, and only a small number are observed at migration choke points. Western birds don't go further south than the gulf of Guinea, but some eastern birds travel as far as South Africa. Montagu's Harriers nest mostly in broad river valleys, plains, and levels bordering lakes and the sea. They can breed in wetlands and also utilise heaths, dunes, moors, and can be found in the steppe. They adapt to shrub-lands in gorse or heather and to areas planted with young conifers. When no other suitable habitat is available these birds will nest in agricultural farmlands. For breeding, Montagu's Harriers require a large open area, with sufficiently tall ground vegetation.
Montagu's Harriers can be both solitary and gregarious at times, both during the breeding season and in winter quarters. They are diurnal and hunt by day. As these birds have a wide distribution, they will take whatever prey is available in the area where they are. Prey is caught while flying along fixed routes at low heights and constant low speeds. Their flight is considered lighter and more dexterous than other harriers enabling them to take more agile prey. When possible Montagu's Harriers often follow the edges of various vegetation to catch their prey by surprise. This is taken after a short stoop, though fast running animals and flying birds can be chased over a short distance. Montagu’s Harriers are generally silent birds, but during the breeding season and near the nests, they become noisy.
Montagu's Harriers are carnivores. They feed mainly on small rodents, small birds, bird eggs, reptiles (including small snakes) and large insects like Dragonflies and Damselflies.
The main threats to Montagu's Harriers include the massive use of agricultural pesticides such as DDT and other environmental poisons, as well as rarefying their prey, in particular large insects. The modification of agricultural practices, with an evolution towards more intensive farming, also puts pressure on Montagu's Harriers; many nests are destroyed by harvesting machines because the harvesting of crop fields is done during the breeding season. In some countries, Montagu's Harriers are still illegally killed during migration.
Montagu's-Harrier-females_6456
Quite often I have come across competing females during the breeding season, such as I encountered in Cadiz Province, Andalucia, Spain on a fine spring day just after dawn.
Here, two females are having a aerial battle as a male sits below and watches. No feathers were lost but the acrobatics of these slim structures female Montagu's Harriers was like pure poetry in motion. Beautiful memories last forever.
The Montagu's Harrier is a migratory bird of prey. Adult males are characterised by their overall pale grey plumage contrasting with black wingtips. Adult females have mostly pale yellow-brown underparts, the belly with longitudinal stripes and spotted wing coverts. The upper-parts are uniform dark brown except for the white upper tail coverts ("rump"), and the sightly paler central wing coverts. The juvenile birds resemble the females, but their belly and underwing coverts are not spotted, but uniformly red-brown in colour.
Montagu's Harriers breed in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Birds from Eurasia spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa, while those from the eastern part of the range migrate to the Indian subcontinent. In Europe, they travel over a broad front, crossing the Mediterranean at various points, and only a small number are observed at migration choke points. Western birds don't go further south than the gulf of Guinea, but some eastern birds travel as far as South Africa. Montagu's Harriers nest mostly in broad river valleys, plains, and levels bordering lakes and the sea. They can breed in wetlands and also utilise heaths, dunes, moors, and can be found in the steppe. They adapt to shrub-lands in gorse or heather and to areas planted with young conifers. When no other suitable habitat is available these birds will nest in agricultural farmlands. For breeding, Montagu's Harriers require a large open area, with sufficiently tall ground vegetation.
Montagu's Harriers can be both solitary and gregarious at times, both during the breeding season and in winter quarters. They are diurnal and hunt by day. As these birds have a wide distribution, they will take whatever prey is available in the area where they are. Prey is caught while flying along fixed routes at low heights and constant low speeds. Their flight is considered lighter and more dexterous than other harriers enabling them to take more agile prey. When possible Montagu's Harriers often follow the edges of various vegetation to catch their prey by surprise. This is taken after a short stoop, though fast running animals and flying birds can be chased over a short distance. Montagu’s Harriers are generally silent birds, but during the breeding season and near the nests, they become noisy.
Montagu's Harriers are carnivores. They feed mainly on small rodents, small birds, bird eggs, reptiles (including small snakes) and large insects like Dragonflies and Damselflies.
The main threats to Montagu's Harriers include the massive use of agricultural pesticides such as DDT and other environmental poisons, as well as rarefying their prey, in particular large insects. The modification of agricultural practices, with an evolution towards more intensive farming, also puts pressure on Montagu's Harriers; many nests are destroyed by harvesting machines because the harvesting of crop fields is done during the breeding season. In some countries, Montagu's Harriers are still illegally killed during migration.