Britain’s rarest breeding bird successfully raises four chicks

Britain’s rarest breeding bird successfully raises four chicks - RSPB

Three juvenile birds perch on a fence as a female bird approaches them in flight. — Montagu's Harriers. Three juveniles perched on a fence, a female approaching them in flight ©RSPB

A pair of Montagu’s Harriers have successfully raised four young for the first time since 2019.

A pair of Montagu’s Harriers have successfully raised four youngsters in England. Montagu’s Harriers are Britain’s rarest breeding bird, and this is the first time the species has nested successfully here since 2019. To protect the birds, the location is being kept secret.

After a high of nine successful nests in 2011, Britain’s breeding population of Montagu’s Harriers sadly dwindled, and in 2021 they were officially placed on the UK Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. But this year, a pair arrived in the UK and have successfully raised four healthy youngsters.

Strongholds under pressure

Montagu’s Harriers winter in Africa and return to Europe to nest, often in agricultural fields, in particular winter sown cereals in the UK. They can often return to the same nesting areas each year.

Their previous strongholds in Spain and France are diminishing due to intensification of agriculture and earlier harvest dates, as well as wetter summers. Many nests across Europe are protected from predators by the installation of small metal fences by conservationists, volunteers and farmers.

Protecting a rare nesting bird

The male and female birds were first seen at the now secret location in England in May, raising hopes they would breed. Their nest was located in June by the licensed use of a drone, and then closely monitored by a volunteer birdwatcher and the RSPB.

Photographs indicated that both adult birds were ringed, which enabled the identification of the birds. Remarkably the male is a chick that hatched from a UK nest in 2015, while the female from a nest in France in 2023.

As soon as their behaviour indicated that the chicks had hatched, the RSPB entered the field under licence and installed a small protective fence to safeguard the nest from ground predators.