Pallid harrier Circus macrourus

Pallid harriers (Circus macrourus) are long distant migrants that breed from Europe to Central Asia. This chapter reviews and discusses current knowledge on the migration of this species. Information coming from satellite tracked birds breeding in Central Asia (core breeding populations located in Kazakhstan) revealed a migratory divide, as birds migrated either to India or to Africa, over a strikingly broad wintering range. Spring migration is faster and more direct than autumn migration and important migration bottlenecks have been identified along the Black Sea coast (Georgia) and in Middle East countries. For more western breeding populations, important migration bottlenecks include the Middle East and the Strait of Messina, with a possible loop migration. Increasing reports of migrating pallid harriers in Western Europe coincide with the recent establishment of a new breeding population in Finland that migrates to Africa through Western Europe (France. Spain).