Montagu's Harrier
Circus pygargus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusCircus (Harriers)
- SpeciesCircus pygargus (Montagu's Harrier)
Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) is a species of harrier, a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It breeds in large open areas in the Palearctic and is migratory, wintering in Africa, the Indian subcontinent and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Virunga National Park
African Marsh-Harrier
Circus ranivorus
Western Marsh-Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
Pale Harrier
Circus macrourus
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Augur Buzzard
Buteo augur
African Harrier-Hawk
Polyboroides typus
African Fish-Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
Long-crested Eagle
Lophaetus occipitalis
Palmnut Vulture
Gypohierax angolensis
Mountain Buzzard
Buteo oreophilus
Bateleur
Terathopius ecaudatus
White-backed Vulture
Gyps africanus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Montagu's Harrier at Virunga National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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