British marsh harriers saved from brink of extinction

The British Broadcasting Corporation reports:

A bird of prey is thriving throughout the UK, 35 years after it was on the brink of extinction.

A crackdown on toxic pesticides and persecution has helped boost numbers of marsh harriers to a 200-year high.

In 1971, just one pair remained at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds‘ Minsmere reserve in Suffolk.

By 2005, 360 breeding females were recorded in parts of eastern England, the Cambridgeshire Fens, Kent, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Scotland.

The birds are known for their spectacular aerial courtship display.

See and hear marsh harrier sound and video.

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