Montagu's Harrier

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Montagu's Harrier in the UK

A summer visitor on the edge of its range, and the rarest breeding raptor in Britain. Numbers peaked at about 30 pairs in the mid-1950s. A later recovery reached nine successful nests in 2011, then fell away: the 2013 to 2017 mean was eight pairs, and in 2019 only one pair bred. None nested from 2020 to 2024. In 2025 one pair returned to England and fledged four young. A few migrants also pass through each year. Red listed since 2021, and protected under Schedule 1.

Where and when to see a Montagu's Harrier

Do not expect to see a breeding bird. Nest locations are kept secret, and for good reason, so there is no public watchpoint at present. Your chance is a migrant. Most pass through southern and eastern England in May and again in August and September. Watch arable land, coastal grazing marsh, heath and downland on warm days with a light wind, when harriers hunt low along field edges. Any sighting is worth reporting to the county recorder, without sharing the site online.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Cereal fields (very rare breeder).
Diet: Voles, lizards, small birds.
Field note: Slim; light, buoyant flight.

How to identify a Montagu's Harrier

The smallest and slimmest British harrier, with long, narrow, pointed wings and a light, tern-like flight. The male is grey with black wing tips, a black bar across the upperwing, two bars below and fine chestnut streaks on the flanks. Females are brown 'ringtails' with a narrow white rump and a pale face marked by a dark crescent on the cheek. Juveniles are plain orange-rufous below with no streaks. The wing tip shows four long 'fingers', one fewer than Hen Harrier.

Call and song

Silent on passage. Near the nest it gives a high, rapid 'yek-yek-yek', and the female has a thin whistle when begging food from the male. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Hen Harrier: Hen Harrier is bulkier and broader-winged with five 'fingers', a larger white rump, and no black bar across the male's upperwing.
• Pallid Harrier: Juvenile Pallid has a pale collar behind a dark 'boa' on the neck, and adult males are paler with a narrow black wedge at the wing tip.
• Marsh Harrier: Marsh Harrier is much larger and heavier, dark brown, and never shows a white rump.

Month by month

A summer visitor, typically in the UK from May to August. Numbers peak in June. See the June birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in UK raptors and owls.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Montagu's Harrier is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Northern HarrierLegendary · Marsh (very rare)
• Pallid HarrierEpic · Open ground (rare passage)
• Hen HarrierRare · Moorland
• Marsh HarrierUncommon · Reedbeds
• Savi's WarblerRare · Reedbeds (very rare breeder)
• Blyth's Reed WarblerRare · Coastal scrub (very rare)

Montagu's Harrier: quick answers

Is the Montagu's Harrier rare in the UK?

Very. It was lost as a breeding bird for five summers from 2020. A single pair nested on farmland in England in 2025, raising four young with the nest protected by the farmer and the RSPB. A few passage birds are recorded in most years.

When is the best time to see Montagu's Harrier?

Birds arrive from late April and leave by September, spending the winter in Africa south of the Sahara. Mid-May and late August are the most likely times to meet a migrant. Juveniles on the move in early autumn are the ones most often photographed.

What habitat does the Montagu's Harrier live in?

Open lowland country. In Britain recent pairs have nested on the ground in arable crops such as winter cereals and oilseed rape, which is why they depend on farmers who are willing to work around them. In the past it also used heaths, young forestry and reedbeds.

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