Scientific publications

The present paper considers hunting habitat preferences of the Hen Harrier (C. cyaneus), Marsh Harrier (C. aeruginosus) and Montagu's Harrier (C. pygargus), as well as differences between species and sexes in the choice of feeding habitats. The study was carried out in 2003-2005 in a 160 km² model area 30 km SW of St. Petersburg. In the study area harriers tended to choose farmland as major feeding habitats during the breeding season. We distinguished 5 types of hunting habitats for harriers: 1) "natural" biotopes (cut-overs, reed-overgrown waters, corridors cut for transmission lines), 2) cereal fields, 3) hayfields, 4) pastures and 5) abandoned farmland (abandoned hayfields and idle fields). During the breeding period, the Hen and Marsh Harriers preferred hunting in hayfields because there were optimal quantities of readily available prey. Montagu's Harrier started visiting hayfields to hunt not earlier than the middle of the breeding period, when the young reached an age of 7-10 days. Broods leaving nest areas always moved to mown hayfields. The
Marsh and Montagu's Harriers preferred to take prey from taller grasses than the Hen Harrier. An attempt was made also to evaluate the hunting success of the three species in different habitats.