Four Montagu’s harrier chicks take flight in first UK breeding success since 2019

The Montagu’s harrier population has dwindled in the last decade. Photograph: Arterra Picture Library/Alamy

A pair of Montagu’s harriers have raised four chicks in an English wheat field, the first success for Britain’s rarest breeding bird since 2019.

The fledglings took their maiden flights this week after being closely monitored by the RSPB and the local farmer, with a protective wire-mesh fence installed around the nest to repel predators such as foxes.