Circus pygargus, commonly called Montagu's Harrier, is a migratory bird of prey that is a widespread winter visitor to the Indian subcontinent. Named after the early nineteenth century ornithologist Col. George Montagu, this deceptively small bird looks larger than it really is because it has a large wing surface for its small body weight.
🗒 Synonyms
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🗒 Common Names
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| Cachar |
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| English |
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| Gujarati |
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| Hindi |
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| Other |
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| Punjabi |
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📚 Overview
Summary
Bird group
Kites, hawks and eagles
No Data
📚 Nomenclature and Classification
References
Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758) '. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175439. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
No Data
📚 Natural History
Morphology
Adult males dark grey in colour with grey throat, rufous shaft stripes on white chest and underwing coverts, and a distinct narrow black transverse bar on wings.
Adult females have uniform dark-brown upperparts, pale yellow-brown evenly barred underparts, spotted wing coverts and white rump.
Juveniles with plumage similar to that of adult females except for their darker secondaries as well as reddish-brown unstreaked underparts and underwing coverts.
Behaviour
Solitary and gregarious birds seen in both breeding and wintering grounds. These graceful fliers show powerful bouyant wing beats to fly low, scanning the countryside for ground-dwelling prey. Generally silent, especially in wintering grounds, may be heard making a high-pitched 'yik-yik-yik' call in the breeding season.
Trophic Strategy
Carnivore.
Feeds mainly on small ground dwelling animals including insects, reptiles like lizards, small birds and mammals like small rodents.
No Data
📚 Habitat and Distribution
General Habitat
Habitat
Terrestrial
Freshwater
A. Global:
Habitat systems: Terrestrial; Freshwater.
Forest Dependency: Does not normally occur in forest.
Altitude: 0 - 4000 m.
General Habitats: Shrubland - Temperate; Grassland - Temperate, Subtropical/Tropical Dry, Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude; Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands; Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land, Plantations.
Breeding Habitats: Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) - Arable land, Plantations; Grassland - Temperate grassland; Shrubland - Temperate shrubland; Inland wetlands - Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens, peatlands.
B. Indian subcontinent:
Open country in plains and foothills - mainly swamps, grassy plains and cultivated land.
Keeps to cultivated and scrub country and rolling grassland. Perches on ground in preference to bush or tree.
Description
Global Distribution
India
Distribution In India
Winter visitor widely distributed in the subcontinent but less common than the Pale Harrier
Distribution In Assam
Migratory in Assam
Distribution size (in km2): 9,420,000.
Global range:
West & Central Palearctic, Africa.
Indian subcontinent range:
Sind (Pakistan) to West & North Peninsula, Sri Lanka, Central & East Nepal, Maldives, North & East Afghanistan, Indus valley, Northern plains of India, Bangladesh, Lakshadweep, Andamans
No Data
📚 Occurrence
No Data
📚 Demography and Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Category
Least Concern
IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern
Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern (ver 3.1)
Year Published: 2009
Assessor/s: BirdLife International
Reviewer/s: Bird, J., Butchart, S.
Threats
Threats include heavy persecution by humans in the past, predation by foxes, the widespread use of organochloride pesticides like DDT that cause thinning of egg shells and accumulates in adult bird tissue, disturbance by bird watchers and exposure of nests and young birds to heavy machinery and toxic sprays in cultivated land.
Legislation
CITES Status
Appendix II
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) India Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II.
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Global Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II.
AEWA (Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds) Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II.
IWPA (Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972) Listed Species:No.
Listed on the Amber List of Birds of Conservation Concern, Annex 1 of the EC Birds Directive.
Listed in Appendix II of the Bern Convention.
Protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in the UK.
No Data
📚 Uses and Management
📚 Information Listing
References
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2016. Checklist of the birds of India (v1.1). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 03 October, 2016].
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2018. Checklist of the birds of India (v2.0). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 31 January, 2018].
- 'List of Common Names, CMS Appendices I and II – February 2012.' CITES Secretariat. URL: http://www.cms.int/pdf/en/CMS_Species_6lng.pdf
- Montagu's Harrier. (2012, December 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:36, January 4, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Montagu%27s_Harrier&oldid=528835806
- 'Circus macrourus (S. G. Gmelin, 1770) '. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175436. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
- 'Migratory birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=31313. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'Circus macrourus (Gmelin,SG, 1770)'. Denis Lepage, Bird Checklists of the World, Avibase and Bird Links to the World. URL: http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=22647E26E5C80F2E. Accessed on April 2nd, 2012.
- Grimmett, R, Inskipp, C and Inskipp, T. 'Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent'. Oxford University Press, 1999. Plate 65, Page 158.
- 'Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/montagus-harrier-circus-pygargus
- 'Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003411/0
- 'CITES species database'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.unep-wcmc-apps.org/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy/fa_user.cfm#appendix
- 'Endemic Birds'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=774. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- Encyclopedia of Life. Available from http://www.eol.org. Accessed 15 Dec 2012.
- 'The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended upto 1993)'. URL: http://envfor.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife1.html
- 'CITES'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 17 April 2012 at 15:16. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CITES.
- 'List of birds of Tamil Nadu'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 27 December 2011. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012.
- 'Vernacular Names of Birds of the Indian Subcontinent'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/Vernacular%20Names%20of%20Birds.html. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'Appendices I, II and III'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php
- 'Statewise list of Birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=722. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- Ali, Salim. 'The book of Indian Birds'. Bombay Natural History Society, 2002. 13: Plate 14, Page 107.
- 'Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3411&m=1
- 'Montagu's Harrier (<i>Circus pygargus</i>)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/montagus-harrier-circus-pygargus
- '<i>Circus pygargus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003411/0
- '<i>Circus pygargus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3411&m=1
Information Listing > References
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2016. Checklist of the birds of India (v1.1). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 03 October, 2016].
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2018. Checklist of the birds of India (v2.0). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 31 January, 2018].
- 'List of Common Names, CMS Appendices I and II – February 2012.' CITES Secretariat. URL: http://www.cms.int/pdf/en/CMS_Species_6lng.pdf
- Montagu's Harrier. (2012, December 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:36, January 4, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Montagu%27s_Harrier&oldid=528835806
- 'Circus macrourus (S. G. Gmelin, 1770) '. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175436. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
- 'Migratory birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=31313. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'Circus macrourus (Gmelin,SG, 1770)'. Denis Lepage, Bird Checklists of the World, Avibase and Bird Links to the World. URL: http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=22647E26E5C80F2E. Accessed on April 2nd, 2012.
- Grimmett, R, Inskipp, C and Inskipp, T. 'Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent'. Oxford University Press, 1999. Plate 65, Page 158.
- 'Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/montagus-harrier-circus-pygargus
- 'Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003411/0
- 'CITES species database'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.unep-wcmc-apps.org/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy/fa_user.cfm#appendix
- 'Endemic Birds'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=774. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- Encyclopedia of Life. Available from http://www.eol.org. Accessed 15 Dec 2012.
- 'The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended upto 1993)'. URL: http://envfor.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife1.html
- 'CITES'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 17 April 2012 at 15:16. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CITES.
- 'List of birds of Tamil Nadu'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 27 December 2011. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012.
- 'Vernacular Names of Birds of the Indian Subcontinent'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/Vernacular%20Names%20of%20Birds.html. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'Appendices I, II and III'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php
- 'Statewise list of Birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=722. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- Ali, Salim. 'The book of Indian Birds'. Bombay Natural History Society, 2002. 13: Plate 14, Page 107.
- 'Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3411&m=1
- 'Montagu's Harrier (<i>Circus pygargus</i>)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/montagus-harrier-circus-pygargus
- '<i>Circus pygargus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003411/0
- '<i>Circus pygargus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3411&m=1
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🐾 Taxonomy
| Root | Root |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Genus | Circus |
| Species | Circus pygargus (Linnaeus 1758) |
📊 Temporal Distribution
📷 Related Observations
👥 Groups
