Latin Name:- Milvus milvus.

Type:- Raptor.

Length:- 60 - 66cm.

Wingspan: 175-195cm

Weight:- 800-1,300g

Habitat:- Likes deciduous woodland with farmland and grassland nearby.

Wintering:- Similar to breeding habitats but winter communal roosts are often established in woods.

Behaviour:- Will perch in the open. Takes off from vegetation and ground.

Food:- Carrion, worms and small mammals.

Flocking:- Usually solitary.

Flight:- Soars and glides, flight is strong and powerful.

Voice:- Mewing and whistling calls.

Life span:- 25 years.

Similar species:- Marsh harrier, Buzzard.

Identification

Head:- White.

Throat:- White.

Breast:- Redish brown, streaked.

Belly:- Redish brown, streaked.

Upperparts:- Redish brown.

Rump:- Redish brown.

Wings upper:- Redish brown, with black edges.

Wings Lower:- Redish brown, with white tips and black edges.

Tail:- Redish brown, long and forked .

Bill:- Yellow, hooked.

Legs:- Yellow, medium length.

Breeding

Nest:- Dead twigs and lined with grass and other vegetation. A quantity of sheeps wool is often added 2-3 days prior to egg laying.

Brood:- Once per annum ( March - May), female will re-lay after a loss of eggs, but not after loss of young.

Eggs:- 1 - 3 (occasionally 4) white with red-brown spots, laid at 3 day intervals.

Incubation:- 31-32 days.

Young heipless:- downy.

Fledging:- 48-70 days.

Some more in depth information

(Source: RSPB Red kite wildlife information facftsheet - 1/01)

The red kite is subject to the longest continuous conservation project in the world. The first Kite Committee was formed in 1903 by concerned individuals appalled at the continuing destruction of kites, and initiated the first nest protection schemes. The RSPB is thought to have been involved continuously since 1905. The rarity of the red kite made it a prime target for egg collectors and bounty hunters, and a high proportion (up to 25%) of nests were robbed each year. More sophisticated nest protection initiatives during the 1950s and 1960s succeeded in reducing the proportion of nests robbed, but it remains a problem still today, particularly in Wales.

It became apparent that due to the low rate of productivity of the Welsh kites, largely caused by the marginal habitat the birds live in, combined with the activities of egg collectors and illegal poisoning, the birds would be unlikely to be able to spread out of Wales. In recognition of this, the RSPB, the Nature Conservancy Council, the Institute for Terrestrial Ecology and the Kite Committee got together in 1986 to discuss the feasibility of reintroducing the red kite to England and Scotland.

Reintroduction would only be considered if the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) criteria were met in full:

1. Existence of good historical evidence of former natural occurrence.

2. A clear understanding of why the species disappeared. Only if the disappearance was due to human action and the species was unlikely to recolonise naturally, would it be considered.

3. The factors causing extinction have been rectified.

4. Suitable habitat is still present to support a viable population.

5. Birds intended for release are genetically as close as possible to the former indigenous population.

6. The removal of birds for the project does not jeopardise the survival of the population from which the birds are taken.

The red kite is one of few bird species in Britain that fulfils all the criteria.

Preparatory work resulted in the release of six Swedish birds at a site in north Scotland and four Swedish and one Welsh bird in Buckinghamshire in 1989. During the following years 93 birds of Swedish and Spanish origin were released at each of the sites, with the last birds released in 1993 in Scotland and 1994 in England. The first successful breeding was recorded at both sites in 1992, and two years later kites reared in the wild themselves reared young for the first time. Both the re-introduced populations are as productive as Continental kites, and are considered self-sustaining and capable of expanding their range without the need of further releases at these locations.

The success of the first phase of re-introductions justified the establishment of another two release sites, in an attempt to produce a total of five self-sustaining breeding populations of red kites in Britain by year 2000, with the aim to have one continuous population in due course. Accordingly, the first 11 birds in East Midlands were released in 1995, with a total of 70 kites released by 1998, by which time the population was believed to be self-sustaining. It is a major recognition of the success of the reintroduction programme that 31 of these birds originated from the south England population. The first breeding in Midlands was recorded in 1997, when three pairs bred successfully fledging eight young.

In 1996 the first 19 red kites were released at a site in Central Scotland. In 1998 the first confirmed breeding took place at this site, when two pairs fledged five young. The releases continued until 2000.

In 1999 the first red kites were released at Harewood House, north of Leeds, as the final stage of the re-introductions in England started. To everyones surprise, the first successful breeding took place the following year.

The eventual aim is to ensure that the red kite breeding population expands to colonise all suitable habitats throughout the UK, and that the currently separate population nuclei will spread to form one continuous population. This may require the establishment of another release site in southern Scotland to join the English and Scottish populations.

Until now the red kites have enjoyed the goodwill of people in all walks of life, and it is important for the long term survival of the birds that this continues. Despite being considered to be primarily associated with low-intensity agriculture, the re-introduced kites seem to be doing well even in the more intensively farmed southern England. The main threats they face are accidental poisoning by bait left out for foxes and crows, and collisions with power cables. These problems are continually being addressed to reduce their impact on the kites. Surveillance of nests and other such protection measures are employed at nests that are believed to be at risk from egg collectors.

Legal status

The red kite is listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, which affords special protection at all times. It is an offence to take, injure or kill a red kite or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. It is also an offence to intentionally or wrecklessly disturb the birds at or close to their nest during the breeding season. Violation of the law can attract fines up to £5,000 per offence and/or a prison sentence of up to 6 months.

All red kites in captivity must be registered. Wild red kites are allowed to be kept in captivity only temporarily if they are injured, and then must be released back to the wild at the earliest opportunity. Captive bred individuals can be legally kept, but these must be ringed and registered. Sale or public display of red kites are controlled by Article 10 licence. All the licensing matters are dealt with by Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Britain and by Department for Agriculture in Northern Ireland.

Nesting

The red kite is a monogamous breeder. In migrant populations the pair bond is probably seasonal, but is renewed every year with the same individuals largely due to individuals' attachment to specific home range and eyrie. In resident populations the pair-bond is retained loosely throughout the winter, especially where the breeding home range is still occupied.

Each nesting territory contains 1-5 alternative nest sites. The nest is built by both birds on a main fork high in a tree, 12-20m above ground. It is constructed of dead twigs and lined with grass and other vegetation. A quantity of sheeps wool is often added 2-3 days prior to egg laying. New material is added to the nest throughout the breeding season, and a nest that has been in use for a number of seasons grows to a considerable size. If nesting is successful, the same nest is used the following year. At times even old buzzard or raven nests are used.

The clutch of 1-3 (occasionally 4) white eggs with red-brown spots are laid at 3 day intervals in April. The incubation is by the female alone for 31-32 days per egg, i.e. 38 days for a clutch of 3. Incubation starts with the first egg, and as such hatching is spread over several days. The male provides the female food during incubation. She rarely leaves the eggs unattended for more than a few minutes at a time.

The female cares for the young with the male provisioning all food for his mate and young for the first two weeks after hatching. After this the female will share hunting, and the young are able to feed themselves from food placed in the nest. From one week of age aggression between siblings becomes apparent, but this is rarely the direct cause of the death of the younger ones. The fledging period is variable, depending on the size of the brood and food availability. The young may start to clamber about the nest tree by 45 days, but rarely fledge before 48-50 days, sometimes not until 60-70 days. Parents care for them in the vicinity of the nest for a further 15-20 days. The young birds will breed for the first time when they are two years old.

Only one brood is raised in a year. The female will re-lay after a loss of eggs, but not after loss of young.

Population trends

The red kite suffered from intensive human persecution through much of its world range until the mid-1950s, but especially so between 1850 and 1900. This resulted in the species becoming extinct in several countries following a marked long-term decrease in range and numbers.

In the UK the red kite was a valued scavenger during the Middle Ages that helped keep streets clean and was protected by a royal decree. Killing a kite attracted a capital punishment. However, by the 16th century a bounty was placed on its head and, in common with many other birds of prey, it was relentlessly persecuted as vermin. The persecution continued through the following centuries largely by game keepers, resulting in the species going extinct in England in 1871 and in Scotland in 1879. By 1903 when protection efforts started, just 3-4 pairs were left in remote parts of central Wales.

The small remnant population survived the persecution in the old oakwoods in the undisturbed upland valleys of mid-Wales, but despite extensive efforts the numbers remained extremely low. The tightest bottle-neck came in the 1930s, when only two breeding pairs were found, and DNA analysis has since discovered that the entire Welsh population was derived from a single female. The population didnt exceed 20 pairs until the 1960s, when it started slowly to increase. The reasons for the lack of increase were many. The population inhabited an area where the climatic conditions depressed the breeding success and prevented the birds from expanding their range. Until about 1950 when protection measures were starting to take effect, egg collecting and shooting of adults for taxidermy were severely affecting the population. During the 1950s the myxomitosis outbreak devastated the main food supply of the kites, which was followed by poor breeding success in the early 1960s which was thought to be caused by effects of organochlorine pesticides. It was for a long time believed that the lack of genetic variability caused by the bottle-neck had resulted in the low reproductive rate. However, once the species had successfully spread to more productive land at lower altitudes, it became obvious that this was almost entirely due to poor habitat conditions.

Due to the low rate of chick production the Welsh population appeared to be unable to spread out of Wales to recolonise its former range. The re-introduction programme started in 1989 by the RSPB in collaboration with English Nature and Scottish Natural Heritage has helped to establish red kites in a total of five areas in England and Scotland, and their range and numbers are slowly expanding. As a result of the successful re-introduction programme the red kites future as a British breeding species is now much brighter.

Threats

Habitat destruction and intensification of agriculture and forestry are continuing threats across Europe, especially in the eastern Europe, which so far has retained a low-intensity agriculture.Being scavengers, red kites are particularly sensitive to poisoning, which prevents further expansion in north-west Europe, and possibly in some areas of Britain. The kites are not targeted by the landowners in Britain, but they frequently become victims of illegal poisoned bait set for foxes or crows. It is estimated that at least half of all Welsh kites die through this deliberate abuse of agricultural chemicals. Birds in England and Scotland have also been poisoned. Red kites are especially vulnerable to the second-generation rodenticides used to control rats. Egg collectors continue to be a problem.

Kite sightings

Any sightings of kites outside the core areas of Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire and central Wales need to be reported to the RSPB. All the birds released as a part of the re-introduction programme were fitted with coloured wing tags, each with a number/letter combination that allows for individual recognition. Details of wing tags will particularly helpful. This will help with monitoring the whereabouts and movements of the tagged individuals and the spread of the kite population as a whole.

Source: RSPB Red kite wildlife information facftsheet (1/01)