Hawks & Eagles

Western Marsh Harrier

Rohrweihe

Circus aeruginosus

Hawks & Eagles5 photosFirst seen: 4 September 2026

The Western Marsh Harrier is a large harrier of reedbeds and open wetlands across Europe and western Asia. It hunts in low, steady quartering flight and commonly nests on the ground within dense reeds.

ID tip: It is broader-winged and heavier than other European harriers, usually gliding with the wings raised in a shallow V. Adult males are patterned brown, grey and black; females and young birds are mainly dark brown with a pale cream crown and throat.

First seen: 4 September 2026 · Lake Skadar · 5 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Lake Skadar4 September 2026

Family: Hawks & Eagles (Accipitridae)
Length: 43–54 cm
Wingspan: 115–140 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Montenegro)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 5 September 2026
Habitat: Reedbeds, marshes, lake margins, wet meadows and nearby farmland
Diet: Small mammals, birds, eggs, amphibians, fish and carrion

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Western Marsh Harrier

Places in my records

Selected photographs