Changing places: spatial ecology and social interactions of female and male Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) in the Spanish Extremadura

The ground nesting raptor Montagu's Harrier breeds in loose colonies in cereal fields in the Spanish Extremadura. It is unclear how and whether birds in different colonies interact and how harriers spend time before and after nesting, before starting migration. We used GPS-GSM tags deployed on ten females and three males, some over multiple seasons, to follow bird movements with unprecedented detail. Arriving from spring migration, all males and most females returned to their old nest site, and spent between 13 and 25 days in mate choice and local site inspection. During incubation and early nesting female movements were strongly reduced, but increased significantly during late nesting and post-fledging periods. After fledging or after breeding failure, females increased their flying radius. Some of them visited other colonies, for single days or for longer periods, or flew long distances within Spain. These visits might have included help in breeding attempts of other pairs (adoptions). Four out of six females returned to their own breeding site before starting migration. Several females repeatedly used common roosts in this phase. Non-breeding females were active in defending nests in the colony against predators. Females with successful brood initiated migration earlier and spent less time in Spain than non-breeders or those with predated nests. Unlike females, daily distances in males were more uniform. While all males remained in the breeding area for the entire season, their activity centres shifted more within that area than those of females.

Automated summary

The study shows that Montagu's Harriers exhibit different behaviors before and after breeding. Males and the majority of females return to their old nest site upon arrival from spring migration, spending days to weeks on mate choice and site inspection. Female movements decrease during incubation and early nesting, but increase significantly during late nesting and post-fledging periods. Non-breeding females exhibit more activity in defending nests against predators in the colony. Females with successful broods initiate migration earlier and spend less time in Spain than non-breeders or those with predated nests.