Western Marsh-Harrier
Western Marsh-HarrierWestern Marsh-HarrierWestern Marsh-HarrierWestern Marsh-Harrier

Western Marsh-Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Doñana National Park
1,684 Verified sightings at Doñana National Park From 2019 to 2026
18,452 Verified sightings across all 69 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Western Marsh-Harrier

The western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) is a large harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Eurasia and adjacent Africa. It is also known as the Eurasian marsh harrier. Formerly, a number of relatives were included in C. aeruginosus, which was then known as "marsh harrier". The related taxa are now generally considered to be separate species: the eastern marsh harrier (C. spilonotus), the Papuan harrier (C. spilothorax) of eastern Asia and the Wallacea, the swamp harrier (C. approximans) of Australasia and the Madagascar marsh harrier (C. maillardi) of the western Indian Ocean islands.

The western marsh harrier is often divided into two subspecies, the widely migratory C. a. aeruginosus which is found across most of its range, and C. a. harterti which is resident all-year in north-west Africa. The western marsh harrier was scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Falco aeruginosus. Linnaeus specified the locality as Europe but restricted this to Sweden in 1761. The western marsh harrier is now placed in the genus Circus that was introduced by Bernard Germain de Lacépède... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Doñana National Park

Hen Harrier
LC

Hen Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus cyaneus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Montagu's Harrier
LC

Montagu's Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus pygargus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pale Harrier
NT

Pale Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus macrourus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Kite
LC

Black Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus migrans

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Booted Eagle
LC

Booted Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hieraaetus pennatus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Common Buzzard
LC

Common Buzzard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo buteo

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Griffon Vulture
LC

Griffon Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gyps fulvus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Red Kite
LC

Red Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus milvus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Short-toed Eagle
LC

Short-toed Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circaetus gallicus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Adalbert's Eagle
VU

Adalbert's Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila adalberti

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Ruppell's griffon

Ruppell's griffon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gyps rueppellii

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Cinereous Vulture
NT

Cinereous Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aegypius monachus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~80%
2 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~80%
3 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~60%
4 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~50%
5 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
6 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~40%
7 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~40%
8 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~30%
9 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
10 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
11 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
12 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
13 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
14 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~10%
15 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
16 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
17 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
18 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
<5%
19 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
20 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
21 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
22 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
23 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
24 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
25 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
27 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
28 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
29 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
30 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
31 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
32 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
33 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
34 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
35 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
36 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
37 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
<5%
38 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
39 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
40 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
41 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
42 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
43 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
44 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
45 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
46 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
47 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
48 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
49 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
50 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
51 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
52 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
53 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
Insufficient data
54 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
Insufficient data
55 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
56 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
57 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
58 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
59 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
Insufficient data
60 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
61 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
62 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
63 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
64 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
65 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
66 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
67 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data
68 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
69 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Western Marsh-Harrier in Doñana National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Western Marsh-Harrier sighting in Doñana National Park, based on 1,684 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Western Marsh-Harrier in Doñana National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Western Marsh-Harrier in Doñana National Park in our monthly data.

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