Wiesenweihe vs Elsterweihe

Circus pygargus compared with Circus melanoleucos

Key Differences

• Wiesenweihe is Critically Endangered while Elsterweihe is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Wiesenweihe	Elsterweihe
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class same	Aves (Vögel)	Aves (Vögel)
Order same	Accipitriformes (Greifvögel)	Accipitriformes (Greifvögel)
Family same	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus same	Circus	Circus
Species	Circus pygargus	Circus melanoleucos

Evolutionary Relationship

Wiesenweihe and Elsterweihe share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Circus.

Conservation Status

Wiesenweihe

CR — Critically Endangered

Elsterweihe

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Wiesenweihe	Elsterweihe
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Wiesenweihe

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.

Elsterweihe

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and Taiwan.

Wiesenweihe

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