Western Marsh-Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
GenusCircus (Harriers)
SpeciesCircus aeruginosus (Western Marsh-Harrier)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Samburu National Reserve

4 Verified sightings at Samburu National Reserve From 2019 to 2026

18,452 Verified sightings across all 69 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ 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 Samburu National Reserve

Circus macrourus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Circus pygargus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Aquila rapax

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Terathopius ecaudatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Melierax poliopterus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Elanus caeruleus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Gyps africanus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Polemaetus bellicosus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Haliaeetus vocifer

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Micronisus gabar

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Necrosyrtes monachus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Aquila spilogaster

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

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

← Back to Samburu National Reserve

Western Marsh-Harrier

About the Western Marsh-Harrier

Recent sightings of Western Marsh-Harrier in Samburu National Reserve

Closest Relatives at Samburu National Reserve

Pale Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Tawny Eagle

Bateleur

Eastern Chanting-Goshawk

Black-winged Kite

White-backed Vulture

Martial Eagle

African Fish-Eagle

Gabar Goshawk

Hooded Vulture

African Hawk-Eagle

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found