Montagu's Harrier vs Pied Harrier

Circus pygargus compared with Circus melanoleucos

Key Differences

• Montagu's Harrier is Critically Endangered while Pied Harrier is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Montagu's Harrier	Pied Harrier
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family same	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus same	Circus	Circus
Species	Circus pygargus	Circus melanoleucos

Evolutionary Relationship

Montagu's Harrier and Pied Harrier share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Circus.

Conservation Status

Montagu's Harrier

CR — Critically Endangered

Pied Harrier

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Montagu's Harrier	Pied Harrier
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Montagu's Harrier

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Pied Harrier

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Taiwan.

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway