Editing Western marsh harrier (section)

==Taxonomy==
The western marsh harrier was [[Species description|formally described]] by the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' under the [[binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Falco aeruginosus''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=91 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | location=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727000 }}</ref> Linnaeus specified the [[type locality (biology)|locality]] as Europe but restricted this to Sweden in 1761.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1761 | title= Fauna svecica : sistens animalia sveciae regni: mammalia, aves, amphibia, pisces, insecta, vermes, distributa per classes & ordines, genera & species, cum differentiis specierum, synonymis auctorum, nominibus incolarum, locis natalium, descriptionibus insectorum | edition=2nd | language=Latin | location=Stockholmiae | publisher=Sumtu & Literis Direct. Laurentii Salvii | page=23 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32170492 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1979 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 1 | edition=2nd | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=319 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16108959 }}</ref> The western marsh harrier is now placed in the [[genus]] ''[[Harrier (bird)|Circus]]'' that was introduced by the French naturalist [[Bernard Germain de Lacépède]] in 1799.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Lacépède | first=Bernard Germain de | author-link=Bernard Germain de Lacépède | year=1799 | title=Discours d'ouverture et de clôture du cours d'histoire naturelle | chapter=Tableau des sous-classes, divisions, sous-division, ordres et genres des oiseux | language=fr | publisher=Plassan | place=Paris | page=4 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6uhAAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA78 }} Page numbering starts at one for each of the three sections.<!--BHL appears not to have a scan--></ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2021 | title=Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.1  | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/raptors/| publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=10 June 2021 }}</ref> The genus name ''Circus'' is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] ''kirkos'', referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight (''kirkos'', "circle"), probably the [[hen harrier]]. The specific ''aeruginosus'' is [[Latin]] for "rusty".<ref name=Jobling>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n34 34], 109}}</ref>

Two subspecies are recognised:<ref name=ioc/>
* ''C. a. aeruginosus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – breeding in Europe and the Middle East to central Asia south Europe, Africa, south Asia; wintering in south Europe, Africa and south Asia
* ''C. a. harterti'' [[Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz und Trützschler|Zedlitz]], 1914 – resident in northwest Africa