Western Marsh-Harrier
Western Marsh-HarrierWestern Marsh-HarrierWestern Marsh-HarrierWestern Marsh-Harrier

Western Marsh-Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Masai Mara National Reserve
68 Verified records at Masai Mara National Reserve
February Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) is a large harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Eurasia and adjacent Africa. It is also known as the Eurasian marsh harrier. Formerly, a number of relatives were included in C. aeruginosus, which was then known as "marsh harrier". The related taxa are now generally considered to be separate species: the eastern marsh harrier (C. spilonotus), the Papuan harrier (C. spilothorax) of eastern Asia and the Wallacea, the swamp harrier (C. approximans) of Australasia and the Madagascar marsh harrier (C. maillardi) of the western Indian Ocean islands. The western marsh harrier is often divided into two subspecies, the widely migratory C. a. aeruginosus which is found across most of its range, and C. a. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Marsh-Harrier sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve, based on 68 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Masai Mara National Reserve

Montagu's Harrier
LC

Montagu's Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus pygargus

5–10% · With luck
Pale Harrier
NT

Pale Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus macrourus

5–10% · With luck
African Marsh-Harrier
LC

African Marsh-Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus ranivorus

Insufficient data
White-backed Vulture
CR

White-backed Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gyps africanus

40–50% · Likely
Bateleur
EN

Bateleur

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Terathopius ecaudatus

40–50% · Likely
Tawny Eagle
VU

Tawny Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila rapax

30–40% · Possible
Lappet-faced Vulture
EN

Lappet-faced Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Torgos tracheliotos

30–40% · Possible
Black-winged Kite
LC

Black-winged Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanus caeruleus

20–30% · Possible
Black-breasted Snake Eagle
LC

Black-breasted Snake Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circaetus pectoralis

20–30% · Possible
Hooded Vulture
CR

Hooded Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Necrosyrtes monachus

20–30% · Possible
Ruppell's griffon

Ruppell's griffon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gyps rueppellii

10–20% · With luck
African Fish-Eagle
LC

African Fish-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus vocifer

10–20% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
10–20
Feb
5–10
Mar
5–10
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
70–80%
2 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
70–80%
3 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
60–70%
4 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
40–50%
5 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
40–50%
6 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
40–50%
7 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
30–40%
8 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
20–30%
9 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
20–30%
10 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
10–20%
11 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
5–10%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
5–10%
13 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
5–10%
14 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
5–10%
15 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
5–10%
16 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
17 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
<5%
18 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
19 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
20 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
22 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
23 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
24 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
25 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
26 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
27 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
28 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
29 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
30 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
31 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
32 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
33 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
34 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
35 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
36 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
<5%
37 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
38 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
39 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
40 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
41 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
42 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
43 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
44 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
45 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
46 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
47 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
48 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
49 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
50 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
51 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
Insufficient data
52 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
53 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
54 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
55 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
56 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
Insufficient data
57 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
58 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
59 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
60 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
61 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
62 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
63 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data
64 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
65 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Western Marsh-Harrier in Masai Mara National Reserve?

About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Western Marsh-Harrier sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve, based on 68 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Western Marsh-Harrier in Masai Mara National Reserve?

February has the highest sighting rate for Western Marsh-Harrier in Masai Mara National Reserve in our monthly data.

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