A summer visitor, arriving in March and migrating south again during September.

The male has a distinctive diagonal black band on its upper wing surface and streaking on the belly. Females are much harder to differentiate from the similar Hen Harrier, but there are slight differences in the wings. The Montagu's  has a smaller chord, especially near the base, and this makes the tip appear more pointed; moreover, if you manage to get a close enough look - or have your camera handy - the Montagu's has four "fingers" while the Hen has five.

A ground nester like all Harriers, this species commonly nest in close proximity to each other and it is often easy enough to find three or four pairs in a single field.