The nest cup is lined with grass and often wool, but Red Kites are known for decorating their nests with man-made objects. Twigs and sticks continue to be added to the nest during the breeding season, and nests are often reused in subsequent years with some well-used nests becoming very large. Red Kites build their own nest but on occasion will take over an old Buzzard nest. Nesting: Nests are usually built high up in a tree, in a fork. The long, forked tail being twisted as an in-flight stabiliser is characteristic of the flight pattern of Red Kite. The oldest known wild bird was almost 24 years old (ringing recovery). About half of all juveniles will survive their first year. Adults have an 61% year-to-year survival. Lifespan: Average in the wild of 4 years. Rare breeding bird, having suffered drastic long-term decline but now common after multiple successful introductions. Passage visitor.Ĭonservation status: GREEN (least concern). Status: Resident and reintroduced/introduced breeding bird. Females (1.2kg) somewhat larger than males (1kg). Most of the Chilterns birds were sourced from the sedentary and common Spanish population for this reason, although birds for the later, more northerly reintroductions have often been sourced from the thriving Swedish migrant population. Only populations from the western part of the range are resident, those from further east are migratory and one of the challenges for the reintroduction programme was to source birds from a non-migratory population to ensure a similar lifestyle to the previous British kites. Red Kites are found across much of northern Europe and into Iberia in the south west and Russia in the east. The head is pale, with older birds developing almost white heads, and the long, red tail is deeply forked and used as a stabiliser in flight, twisting back and forth – a characteristic clue to the Red Kite’s identity, even with only distant views. They are predominantly rufous red, with dark wing tips and pale outer wings. Red Kites are extremely long-winged and long-tailed and very large, with slightly larger bodies and very much longer wings than a Buzzard. In 1989, six birds were released at a site in Scotland and a further four birds were released in the Chilterns. The population retreated, finding a final refuge in the valleys of central Wales. Once a common bird over much of the country, even haunting the litter-ridden and filthy streets of our cities, Red Kites were seen as disease-carrying vermin and bounties were paid for their carcasses. The reintroduction of this species to Britain must rate as one of the conservation success stories of the modern era. The sight of a Red Kite, or two, or three, gently soaring over our countryside is now, once more, a familiar thing. The long wings and rich, rufous colours of a Red Kite.

Red kite uk