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The Western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) is a bird found in Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, France, and 1 more countries. Reed beds and marshes across Europe, Africa and Asia. It eats small mammals and birds, reptiles and frogs and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Western marsh harrier lives

Reed beds and marshes across Europe, Africa and Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐭 Mammals & birds60%
• 🦎 Reptiles & frogs20%
• 🐛 Insects & bugs10%
• 🐟 Fish10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Western marsh harrier

Recorded by Lars Edenius (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1133142. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Western marsh harrier

Where does the Western marsh harrier live?

The Western marsh harrier lives in Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, France, and 1 more countries. Reed beds and marshes across Europe, Africa and Asia.

What does the Western marsh harrier eat?

small mammals and birds (about 60%), reptiles and frogs (about 20%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%), fish (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Western marsh harrier endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Europe

• European serin
• Green sandpiper
• Garden warbler
• Common pochard
• Common ringed plover
• Brambling

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.