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.