The past few centuries have seen natural grassland habitats worldwide contract drastically and with them the harrier populations that depend on them, not least the Palearctic breeding species.
The global population of Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus is not known with any certainty and could be anything between 150 000 and 200 000 individuals (BirdLife International, 2004). This vagueness about the size of the population is due to the fact that most of it occurs in Russia and the former Soviet republics, where it is not quantified. Once successful and abundant, this harrier is now in rapid decline and although not yet listed as Threatened, the Western Palearctic population is estimated to number only some 35 000 to 50 000 pairs.
This story is from the July/August 2021 edition of African Birdlife.
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This story is from the July/August 2021 edition of African Birdlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
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