One of six chicks born to Britain’s rarest bird of prey has been hit and killed by a train
One of six Montagu's Harrier chicks hatched this year in Britain has died after being struck by a train, the RSPB has confirmed. The bird, which was tagged and satellite-tracked, was undertaking its natural migration south to Africa for the winter when conservationists noticed unusual data suggesting something had gone wrong, prompting them to trace the loss of one of the country's most endangered birds of prey.
Satellite readings showed the tag's temperature had dropped in a way consistent with death in England, while location data showed the bird moving at speed along an east-to-west railway line. With help from rail staff, the RSPB located the chick's body, confirming it had been hit by a train and carried along the tracks. Montagu's Harriers were added to the UK's conservation "red list" five years ago, with breeding numbers falling from nine successful nests in 2011 to no confirmed breeding at all between 2020 and 2024; this year, however, six chicks fledged from two secret nest sites, offering some hope for the species, whose survival also depends heavily on farmers timing harvests around ground nests.
- Rare Montagu's Harrier chick killed by train during migration to Africa
- Satellite tag helped RSPB trace and recover the bird's body
- Species is critically endangered, with numbers dropping sharply since 2011
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Montagu's Harriers are Britain's rarest breeding bird of prey, a species that has come close to vanishing from the UK in recent years. Numbers have fallen sharply since 2011, and there was no confirmed successful breeding at all between 2020 and 2024, putting the bird on the official "red list" of species of greatest conservation concern.
This year brought a rare piece of good news, with six chicks hatching at two secret nest sites monitored by the RSPB. Each chick was fitted with a satellite tag so conservationists could follow its progress, particularly during the long migration south to Africa for the winter, a journey that carries significant risks for young, inexperienced birds.
The RSPB is the charity responsible for tracking and protecting these birds, working alongside farmers whose land often hosts the ground nests, since harvesting activity has to be carefully timed to avoid disturbing them. The species' continued survival depends on both this kind of careful land management and on chicks successfully completing their migration each year.