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Ten of 17 Western Marsh Harriers Recovered in West Africa Had Been Ringed in Finland or Poland

Western Marsh Harrier in flight in Estonia
Research · Ecology

A study of migratory connectivity between Europe and West Africa examined 17 documented recoveries of ringed western marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus) in Ghana, Togo and Benin. Six of the birds had been ringed in Finland and four in Poland, meaning that ten of the 17 recoveries were linked to those two countries. The study was published on 26 March 2026 in Environmental and Experimental Biology.

The researchers analysed documented encounters with 257 ringed Palearctic raptors belonging to five species that winter in the three West African countries. The records had been compiled from ringing databases and published regional sources, with the available data extending through May 2012 for Ghana and September 2016 for Togo and Benin.

Ten of 17 recoveries linked West Africa to Finland or Poland

For western marsh harriers, 35% of the documented recoveries involved birds ringed in Finland and 24% involved birds ringed in Poland. The remaining birds had been ringed in Italy, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The pattern provides direct links between European ringing locations and West African areas used during the non-breeding season.

Recovery proportions are not estimates of breeding-population origin

The authors stress that the proportions of recoveries should not be interpreted as reflecting the relative sizes of national breeding populations. Ringing effort differs between countries and species, and whether a ringed bird is found and reported also depends on human behaviour. The dataset therefore provides evidence of migratory connections rather than a census of where West African wintering birds originate.

The paper places these connections in a wider conservation context. The authors describe habitat loss and persecution as important pressures on raptors in West Africa and argue that understanding which European populations are linked to particular African wintering areas is important for conservation across the whole flyway. They recommend expanding the use of ringing data, modern tracking technology, bird monitoring, conservation education and wildlife-law enforcement in the region.

Sources and image credit

  1. Arcilla, N., & Di Lecce, I. (2026). Migratory connectivity of Palearctic raptors in West Africa: Investigating links between wintering and breeding areas and conservation implications through ringing encounters. Environmental and Experimental Biology, 24(1), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.22364/eeb.24.11Primary peer-reviewed study published 26 March 2026. It analysed 257 documented ringed-raptor encounters in Ghana, Togo and Benin. For Western Marsh Harrier, 17 recoveries were documented: six birds had been ringed in Finland and four in Poland. The authors caution that recovery proportions do not represent national breeding-population sizes because ringing and reporting effort vary.

Image: Anti Salura — Western Marsh Harrier photographed in Harju County, Estonia, 8 May 2012; Eesti Looduse fotovõistlus / Wikimedia Commons Featured Picture; representative northern European bird, not one of the ringed birds recovered in West Africa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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