Moták lužní (Circus pygargus) Montagu's harrier, Wiesenweihe, Луговой лунь, Błotniak łąkowy

00:00 DESCRIPTION Montagu's harrier has a body length of approximately 40 - 50 cm and a wingspan of 100 - 120 cm. The male is silvery grey, the narrow long wings with black stripes at the end are black, and four finger-like outstretched hands are often visible in flight. It has various rusty brown spots on its chest. Females and young birds are much more inconspicuous and are predominantly brown in colour. 00:42 FOOD Montagu's harrier's food consists mainly of small rodents, mostly voles. Occasionally small birds, amphibians, reptiles or larger insects are also present. 00:55 NESTING They nest in open countryside, sometimes in small colonies of 3-5 pairs. They always build their nests on the ground in tall grass, in recent years often in tall cereals. The female sits alone on 2 - 6 eggs for about a month. The female provides most of the care on the nest and the male provides food for the young outside the nest. After two weeks from hatching, the female also begins to hunt. The young birds leave the nest after about 30 - 40 days and stay on the nest for another 2 - 3 weeks, where the parents feed them. Unfortunately, the nesting season coincides with the grain harvest, and many of the young of these beautiful birds do not make it to adulthood. This is why their protection is necessary, which is carried out by ornithologists and other volunteers in cooperation with farmers. 02:03 PRESENCE Montagu's harrier is a relatively rare bird species in Europe outside Scandinavia and the northern regions. However, in some parts of central and southern Europe in particular, it only migrates and does not breed. It is a migratory bird and its wintering grounds are in central, eastern and southern Africa.