10 March 2026
eBird: LIFE SOS Pygargus project calls for data recording and sharing to save the Montagu's harrier from extinction
Montagu's harrier. Adult male monitored as part of the “Save the Montagu's harrier” campaign. Fiães, Melgaço, 2025. Photo: Pedro Alves/Palombar.
App users and citizen participation are essential to protect this endangered species
Users of the eBird mobile app, the largest global citizen science platform for recording bird sightings, can actively contribute to saving the Montagu's harrier from extinction. The LIFE SOS Pygargus project considers citizen involvement essential to protect this migratory species with ‘Endangered’ status (in Portugal) and calls on app users to record and share data on the Montagu's harrier. These records are very important and contribute directly to the actions of the annual ‘Save the Montagu´s harrier’ campaign, implemented by the project, and to science applied to the conservation and better long-term management of the species.
The Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) is on the verge of extinction. Its population declined by about 80% in Portugal between 2012 and 2022, and by 30% in Spain between 2006 and 2017, with a downward trend. It is therefore a high priority to collect up-to-date information on its distribution, characterise its breeding and feeding habitats, and identify the threats that compromise its reproductive success and productivity.
The Montagu's harrier is a migratory bird that winters in sub-Saharan Africa and spends spring and summer in the Iberian Peninsula, where it nests and remains between March and September. The first birds of this species have already begun to arrive in Portugal and Spain, and everyone can contribute with observation data on individuals, pairs and/or nests.
How can you help?
During the nesting and breeding season, between March and August, if you go to the field and observe an individual of this species, a pair or a nest (built on the ground in fields with cereals/fodder or scrubland in mountainous areas), it is essential that you: record your observation on eBird (don't have the app yet? Download it from the AppStore or GooglePlay); send the project team information about nests and nesting sites (GPS coordinates are essential), as well as relevant additional information, such as photographs, videos or detailed field notes, using the ‘Register observation’ form available here; and record colour ring checks.
A campaign to monitor Montagu's harriers using PVC colour rings is currently underway in Portugal. Juveniles and adults of this species are marked with a metal ring and a dark green PVC ring with a three-character white alphanumeric code (letters and/or numbers). In males, the coloured ring is placed on the right leg, and in females on the left leg. Data on Montagu's harrier ring controls should be reported here.
Nests and injured or dead birds: what to do?
In the case of nests, whenever they are detected, as well as if factors threatening the species/nest are identified, such as agricultural activities, fires, risk of predation, among others, the project team should be notified immediately (see the map with mobile phone and email contacts by area of operation here).
If you find an injured or dead bird, do not touch, remove or alter the position of the individual or carcass, unless instructed to do so by the authorities. In Portugal, immediately contact the Environment and Territory SOS Line (+351 808 200 520) of the Nature and Environment Protection Service of the National Republican Guard (SEPNA/GNR). If you are in Spain, contact the Guardia Civil's Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza – SEPRONA (062).
How to best record Montagu’s harrier data in eBird?
Whether complete lists or casual observations, individuals of this species should be recorded in the eBird app as follows:
1. Use the Age and Sex Table to characterise all individuals present;
2. Use the ‘Details’ field to describe the bird's morphotype (physical characteristics, such as colour, size, etc.);
3. Enter the highest Nesting Code observed on each visit;
4. Describe in detail any relevant behaviours that do not have a specific code (kleptoparasitism, interactions with the habitat, with other individuals of the same species or with other bird species, etc.);
5. Add photos to help characterise the individuals observed and the habitat;
6. Record the presence of species with predatory potential, including domestic or wild mammals and other birds (birds of prey, corvids and storks);
7. Record and document other species of the genus Circus, namely the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and the marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus). If it is impossible to identify the species, it should be recorded as Circus sp., describing in the ‘Details’ field the characteristics observed that may contribute to its identification;
8. In this species, pairs are observed with behaviours compatible with polygyny (where a male reproduces with several females) and polyandry (where a female reproduces with several males), so any behaviour that suggests this possibility should be described in the ‘Details’ section;
9. In the case of migrating birds or birds travelling long distances, follow them for as long as possible and indicate the direction of flight (cardinal point); and
10. Associate your records with ‘Personal Observation Points’, which should be omitted if they contain sensitive information about the occurrence of the species.
More detailed information about the species, such as identification, specific behaviours, plumage and morphology variations, among others, is available in an extensive article published on the eBird platform, as well as on the project's website and social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.
More than just a record: become a ‘friend of the Montagu's harrier’
Saving the Montagu's harrier from extinction in the Iberian Peninsula is a Herculean task that requires great effort and, above all, citizen and multisectoral collaboration. That is why the LIFE SOS Pygargus project has created the ‘Friends of the Montagu's Harrier’ Network, which anyone can join. Collaborate on an ongoing basis. Join us and be part of the future of this species!
About the project
LIFE SOS Pygargus – Urgent conservation actions for Montagu’s harrier populations in Portugal and Spain is an Iberian project co-funded at 75% by the European Union’s LIFE Programme. It also receives co-funding from Viridia – Conservation in Action, Lightsource bp, the Portuguese Environmental Fund, and the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
It is implemented by a consortium that includes Palombar – Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation (coordinating entity), BIOPOLIS-CIBIO Association, AEPGA – Association for the Study and Protection of Donkeys, ANPOC – National Association of Protein, Oilseed and Cereal Producers, CCDR-N – North Regional Coordination and Development Commission, EDIA – Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company SA, ICNF – Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, INIAV – National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research, LPN – Nature Protection League, MC Shared Services SA, Modelo Continente Hipermercados SA, SPEA – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, UTAD – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vita Nativa – Environmental Conservation, AMUS – Action for Wild World, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Sustainable Development of the Regional Government of Extremadura, GREFA – Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat, and the University of Murcia.
About eBird
eBird is the largest global citizen science platform for recording bird observations, managed by the Cornell University Ornithology Laboratory in the United States. Records of data related to bird observations contribute in a fundamental and decisive way to better conservation of bird species, particularly those threatened with extinction, such as the Montagu's harrier.
Users of the eBird mobile app, the largest global citizen science platform for recording bird sightings, can actively contribute to saving the Montagu's harrier from extinction. The LIFE SOS Pygargus project considers citizen involvement essential to protect this migratory species with ‘Endangered’ status (in Portugal) and calls on app users to record and share data on the Montagu's harrier. These records are very important and contribute directly to the actions of the annual ‘Save the Montagu´s harrier’ campaign, implemented by the project, and to science applied to the conservation and better long-term management of the species.
The Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) is on the verge of extinction. Its population declined by about 80% in Portugal between 2012 and 2022, and by 30% in Spain between 2006 and 2017, with a downward trend. It is therefore a high priority to collect up-to-date information on its distribution, characterise its breeding and feeding habitats, and identify the threats that compromise its reproductive success and productivity.
The Montagu's harrier is a migratory bird that winters in sub-Saharan Africa and spends spring and summer in the Iberian Peninsula, where it nests and remains between March and September. The first birds of this species have already begun to arrive in Portugal and Spain, and everyone can contribute with observation data on individuals, pairs and/or nests.
How can you help?
During the nesting and breeding season, between March and August, if you go to the field and observe an individual of this species, a pair or a nest (built on the ground in fields with cereals/fodder or scrubland in mountainous areas), it is essential that you: record your observation on eBird (don't have the app yet? Download it from the AppStore or GooglePlay); send the project team information about nests and nesting sites (GPS coordinates are essential), as well as relevant additional information, such as photographs, videos or detailed field notes, using the ‘Register observation’ form available here; and record colour ring checks.
A campaign to monitor Montagu's harriers using PVC colour rings is currently underway in Portugal. Juveniles and adults of this species are marked with a metal ring and a dark green PVC ring with a three-character white alphanumeric code (letters and/or numbers). In males, the coloured ring is placed on the right leg, and in females on the left leg. Data on Montagu's harrier ring controls should be reported here.
Montagu's harrier. Adult female in flight. Photo: Pedro Alves/Palombar.
Nests and injured or dead birds: what to do?
In the case of nests, whenever they are detected, as well as if factors threatening the species/nest are identified, such as agricultural activities, fires, risk of predation, among others, the project team should be notified immediately (see the map with mobile phone and email contacts by area of operation here).
If you find an injured or dead bird, do not touch, remove or alter the position of the individual or carcass, unless instructed to do so by the authorities. In Portugal, immediately contact the Environment and Territory SOS Line (+351 808 200 520) of the Nature and Environment Protection Service of the National Republican Guard (SEPNA/GNR). If you are in Spain, contact the Guardia Civil's Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza – SEPRONA (062).
How to best record Montagu’s harrier data in eBird?
Whether complete lists or casual observations, individuals of this species should be recorded in the eBird app as follows:
1. Use the Age and Sex Table to characterise all individuals present;
2. Use the ‘Details’ field to describe the bird's morphotype (physical characteristics, such as colour, size, etc.);
3. Enter the highest Nesting Code observed on each visit;
4. Describe in detail any relevant behaviours that do not have a specific code (kleptoparasitism, interactions with the habitat, with other individuals of the same species or with other bird species, etc.);
5. Add photos to help characterise the individuals observed and the habitat;
6. Record the presence of species with predatory potential, including domestic or wild mammals and other birds (birds of prey, corvids and storks);
7. Record and document other species of the genus Circus, namely the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and the marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus). If it is impossible to identify the species, it should be recorded as Circus sp., describing in the ‘Details’ field the characteristics observed that may contribute to its identification;
8. In this species, pairs are observed with behaviours compatible with polygyny (where a male reproduces with several females) and polyandry (where a female reproduces with several males), so any behaviour that suggests this possibility should be described in the ‘Details’ section;
9. In the case of migrating birds or birds travelling long distances, follow them for as long as possible and indicate the direction of flight (cardinal point); and
10. Associate your records with ‘Personal Observation Points’, which should be omitted if they contain sensitive information about the occurrence of the species.
More detailed information about the species, such as identification, specific behaviours, plumage and morphology variations, among others, is available in an extensive article published on the eBird platform, as well as on the project's website and social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.
Montagu's harrier. Adult melanic female. Photo: Pedro Alves/Palombar.
More than just a record: become a ‘friend of the Montagu's harrier’
Saving the Montagu's harrier from extinction in the Iberian Peninsula is a Herculean task that requires great effort and, above all, citizen and multisectoral collaboration. That is why the LIFE SOS Pygargus project has created the ‘Friends of the Montagu's Harrier’ Network, which anyone can join. Collaborate on an ongoing basis. Join us and be part of the future of this species!
About the project
LIFE SOS Pygargus – Urgent conservation actions for Montagu’s harrier populations in Portugal and Spain is an Iberian project co-funded at 75% by the European Union’s LIFE Programme. It also receives co-funding from Viridia – Conservation in Action, Lightsource bp, the Portuguese Environmental Fund, and the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
It is implemented by a consortium that includes Palombar – Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation (coordinating entity), BIOPOLIS-CIBIO Association, AEPGA – Association for the Study and Protection of Donkeys, ANPOC – National Association of Protein, Oilseed and Cereal Producers, CCDR-N – North Regional Coordination and Development Commission, EDIA – Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company SA, ICNF – Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, INIAV – National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research, LPN – Nature Protection League, MC Shared Services SA, Modelo Continente Hipermercados SA, SPEA – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, UTAD – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vita Nativa – Environmental Conservation, AMUS – Action for Wild World, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Sustainable Development of the Regional Government of Extremadura, GREFA – Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat, and the University of Murcia.
About eBird
eBird is the largest global citizen science platform for recording bird observations, managed by the Cornell University Ornithology Laboratory in the United States. Records of data related to bird observations contribute in a fundamental and decisive way to better conservation of bird species, particularly those threatened with extinction, such as the Montagu's harrier.