UK's rarest bird of prey rears new chicks in secret location
The UK's rarest bird of prey, the Montagu's harrier, has successfully reared six chicks in a secret location for the second consecutive year. Conservationists are using satellite tags to track the juveniles to better understand their migration patterns and improve protection efforts.
Why it matters
The successful breeding of this red-listed species represents a significant milestone for UK biodiversity conservation and provides critical data for protecting migratory raptors.
Image source, PA Media By Justin Rowlatt , Climate Editor and Tabby Wilson Published 13 minutes ago The UK's rarest bird of prey has successfully nested for the second year running in the same secret location, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has reported.
A male Montagu's harrier, known as "AU" by conservationists, bred with two different females, rearing six chicks across two nests on English farmland.
Montagu's harriers were put on a "red list" of birds most at risk in the UK in 2021. Numbers have declined from a high of nine successful nests in 2011, to no evidence of successful breeding between 2020 and 2024.
An RSPB spokesperson said: "We are doing our absolute utmost to save this iconic species in the UK and are delighted with six flying juveniles this year."
Four chicks hatched in the same secret location last year.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in