by Christopher Chatterton

Created on: November 23, 2010

At a distance the Montagu Harrier (Circus pygargus) is easily confused with its almost identical cousin the Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus).  Infact the two birds are so similar it was not known until 1802 that there were two seperate species, when a British naturalist from Devon, England, named George Montagu, made the discovery (Burton, 1981) and named one in his own honour. Even today, unless the adult birds are observed close-up, only the juveniles of each species are discernable due to the distinctive chestnut breast plumage of each species (Burton, 1981).

A further means of telling apart a Montagu’s Harrier from a Hen Harrier is that the former have a slightly slimmer body and more pointed wings. In common with male Hen Harrier’s, male Montagu’s Harrier’s are have grey upper plumage with a grey rump. However, male Montagu’s Harriers also possess thin black wing bars and brown chest flecks, which are absent in male Hen Harrier’s (Holden & Cleeves, 2002). Upon closer inspection, the head feathers of Montagu’s Harrier also appear dirtier, resembling a sooty-black colour (Burton, 1981).

Female Montagu’s Harriers are very slightly larger then the male. They also possess streaky brown upper feathers with 'crescent-shaped' markings on their cheeks, with a narrower and more 'u'-shaped white rump than a female Hen Harrier’s, and their underwings often show two distinctive black bars (Holden & Cleeves, 2002). 

Overall, Montagu’s Harrier’s are slightly smaller and less well built than Hen Harrier’s, measuring around 43-47cm (17-19-inches) in length. Hen Harrier’s are also much more established in Britain with long held breeding territories in Scotland, Lancashire across the Pennines to Yorkshire and North Wales, as well as western Northern Ireland and southern Ireland. They also have over wintering areas in western Ireland, southern Wales and the south and the south East of England across to East Anglia (Holden & Cleeves, 2002).

Montagu’s Harrier’s are rare breeders in Britain, and the few summer visitors that find their way to Britian from their breeding grounds (in Scandinavia, North Africa and Russia), are mainly confined to the south coast of England and East Anglia (Holden & Cleeves, 2002). Hence, you are only likely to find a Montagu’s Harrier in Britian, in the south of England during the summer months.

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