Can you confirm if I’ve ticked off my first Montagu’s...

QPlease could you confirm if I have just seen my first Montagu’s Harrier, or could it be a Hen Harrier? I saw this bird near Upavon, Wiltshire, on 17 June – looking at my field guide the black bar on the wing suggest it may be a Montagu’s. Ken King, Melksham, Wiltshire

AYou’re quite right, this is a male Montagu’s Harrier – add that tick to your life list! The black stripe across the upper wing is diagnostic, being absent in the very similar male Hen Harrier, and ‘Montys’ like this are also typically more slender and even more elegantly proportioned than their close relative. Male ‘Montys’ also have chestnut streaking on the underparts, are darker grey than Hens, and have more black around the wingtips. The location and timing, of course, are also suggestive of Montagu’s – several of the very small British breeding population are found on Salisbury Plain, while at this time of year you’d expect Hen Harriers to be on their breeding grounds in the uplands.