This pie chart shows the relative likelihood of observing particular other species commonly observed near Circus macrourus

Range and Population:

Circus macrourus breeds primarily in the steppes of Asiatic Russia, Kazakhstan and north-west China. Small populations breed in Azerbaijan, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine. A minority winter in south-east and central Europe, north Africa and the Middle East but most migrate to the Afrotropics (Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Chad, Niger, Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa) and the Indian subcontinent (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar).There are also records from the Maldives. The global population is estimated at 9,000-15,000 pairs⁶, having shown marked declines and range contractions. The status of the European population (310-1,200 pairs in Azerbaijan, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and western Russia, occupying 25-49% of the global breeding range) was recently reassessed^11,6. Following a large decline in Europe during 1970-1990⁷, when up to 30% of birds were lost (particularly from the key population in European Russia), the species continued to decline in 1990-2000, and overall trends exceeded 30% over three generations (18 years)¹¹. It appears that the species has been extirpated from Moldova and Belarus, where it bred formerly^6,11. In Asia, however, the population is presumed to be more stable. Surveys in the Kustanay Oblast region (northern Kazakhstan) from 1997 to 2004 indicate a fluctuating but ostensibly stable population of 1,500-2,000 pairs, nesting at a density of 9.4-25 pairs per 100 km^{2 12,13}. No other detailed surveys are known from the species's Asiatic range, although anecdotal evidence from eastern Kazakhstan (Almaty to Chockpack Bird Station) suggests that it is locally abundant¹⁴. Assessment of the status of this species is complicated by the fact that on breeding territories numbers fluctuate in response to environmental conditions, probably numbers of small mammals. Thus, high or low numbers in any given year or two year period may be indicative of change in demographics or they may be indicative of change in local environment (and birds may go elsewhere without their population size changing)¹⁰. Reliable records from migration routes and wintering grounds are also difficult to obtain owing to the rarity of the species, its broad-front migration strategy, and difficulties in field identification, although important concentrations of birds have been identified in parts of India and Africa⁶.[1]
Countries:Native:
Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Angola; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Belarus; Benin; Botswana; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Côte d'Ivoire; Denmark; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Finland; France; Gambia; Georgia; Ghana; Greece; Guinea-Bissau; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Lebanon; Liberia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malawi; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova, Republic of; Mongolia; Montenegro; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; Niger; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Swaziland; Syrian Arab Republic; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Vagrant:
Austria; Belgium; Estonia; Germany; Gibraltar; Guinea; Hungary; Iceland; Japan; Lesotho; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Malaysia; Netherlands; Norway; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom

Regionally extinct:
Latvia; Viet Nam

Uncertain presence and origin:
Bhutan

[1][1]

Biome:

Terrestrial

Ecology Notes:

List of Habitats:1.1Forest - Boreal 2.1Savanna - Dry 2.2Savanna - Moist 4.4Grassland - Temperate 4.5Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry 5.4Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands 8.3Desert - Cold

In sections below, we make some habitat inferences based on the known habitat preferences of those species most commonly associated with Circus macrourus.

Zone:

alpine, montane, subtropics, temperate, tropics.

Vegetation:

boreal forest, coniferous forests, cultivated areas, deciduous woods and forests, desert, disturbed sites, fields, forests, gardens, grasslands, hardwood forests, mature forests, meadows, moist woods, montane forests, open forests, pasture, pine forests, steppes, temperate forest, thickets, tundra grassland.

Terrain:

mountain slopes, roadsides, rock outcrops, streamsides, valleys.

Soil and Rock:

clay, sandy areas, sandy soil, stony areas, thin soil.

Water in Area:

along rivers, bays, bogs, brackish water, ditches, dry areas, estuaries, fens, lagoon, lakes, marshes, pelagic, ponds, river banks, rivers, saltwater, shores, stream banks, streams, swamps, wet woods.