Montagu's Harrier nests successfully for second year with six chicks
The UK's rarest bird of prey has nested successfully for a second year, raising six chicks by two females at a secret location.
How it was covered
- BBC One carried 98% of the airtime.
- BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
The UK's rarest bird of prey, the Montagu's harrier, has nested successfully for the second consecutive year, raising six chicks from two nests. The RSPB has confirmed that two females, both served by the same male, have produced the chicks at a secret location in England. The exact county is being withheld to protect the birds from large numbers of birdwatchers.
The male harrier, ringed as a chick in Wiltshire in 2016, has been described as an "incredibly special bird" by the RSPB. After spending ten days displaying in the sky, he attracted two females. This year's breeding success follows a period when there were no breeding pairs in the UK for five years. Now there are two nests, both reliant on the same male, who makes up to ten spectacular food drops a day to feed the females and chicks.
Conservationists are concerned about the threats facing the species. Montagu's harriers nest on the ground, hidden among crops, and climate change is bringing harvests forward. This year's harvest was about a month earlier than in previous years, putting nests at risk of being destroyed by farm machinery. The RSPB and farmers have worked together to fence off the nests and leave crops standing until the young can fly.
To learn more about the birds' behaviour, two chicks, one from each nest, have been fitted with satellite tags. Each tag weighs just five grams and includes a solar cell. The tags will allow scientists to track the juveniles as they leave Britain and head south, providing new information about their migration routes, wintering grounds, and whether they will return to the UK to breed. This is the first time the RSPB has been able to follow juvenile Montagu's harriers in this way.
The successful breeding season is a positive sign, but the species remains on the brink. The RSPB says climate change is not helping, and the earlier harvests pose a constant danger. The location of the nests remains secret to avoid disturbance, and the young birds are expected to leave the UK within weeks.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Montagu's Harrier nested successfully for the second consecutive year. | ||
| RSPB kept the nest location secret to deter birdwatchers. | Reported by BBC One | |
| Only on one channel | ||
| Climate change is bringing harvests forward, posing a risk to ground-nesting Montagu's Harriers. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
| The male Montagu's Harrier was ringed as a chick in Wiltshire in 2016. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
| There are two nests in the UK, both served by the same male. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
| Two chicks were fitted with satellite tags to track their migration. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel gave a brief, factual summary of the story, focusing on the rarity of the bird and the secrecy of the nest location. It did not include details about the male's history, climate change, or satellite tagging, instead presenting it as a short news item alongside other stories.
- “The UK's rarest bird of prey has successfully nested for the second year running, raring six chicks by two different females.”
- “The RSPB says it's keeping the location of the Montague Harriers nest a secret to avoid interest from twitchers.”
BBC ONE West provided extensive, exclusive coverage, with climate editor Justin Rowlatt given access to the secret location. The report highlighted the male's remarkable role, the threat from climate change and earlier harvests, and the new satellite tagging initiative. The tone was celebratory but also warned of the species' precarious state.
- “Is this the ultimate takeaway delivery?”
- “This is a species right on the brink and climate change is not helping that”
- “Within weeks these juvenile birds will be heading south and now for the first time the RSPB will be able to follow two of them into the unknown.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.