Montagu's harrier

Montagu's harrier, Circus pygargus, is a species of harrier, a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, that breeds across large open areas of the Western Palearctic from Portugal in the west to the Urals in the east, with some populations in North Africa. It is highly migratory, with Eurasian birds wintering in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent and some eastern birds traveling as far as South Africa. Adult males show pale grey plumage with black wingtips and rusty streaking on the belly, while females and juveniles look more like other harrier species. The bird hunts small rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects with a low, buoyant flight, nesting in open habitats such as grasslands and agricultural land, and although listed as Least Concern its numbers have declined significantly since the 1940s due to pesticide use and intensive farming.