They breed around the age of 2 or 3 and build their nests in tall trees near the edge of the wood to allow easy access. Red Kites become a lot less sociable during breeding season. They are also opportunists often attempting to steal from each other, particularly during breeding season. They also eat invertebrates such as beetles and earth worms, especially in Spring. They have been seen to take smaller, softer animals such as mice, voles, rabbits, crows and pigeons but they are fairly weak hunters in comparison to say a buzzard. Red Kites are scavengers and prefer to eat dead animals, road kill. Habitatįound across most of Europe and North-west Africa.

Typically red Kites live for about 10 years in the wild. Its voice is a mew-like “weoo-weoo-weoo” which is rapidly repeated. In terms of it’s colouring the Red Kite has a russet body with a grey and white head, it’s wings are red with white patches on the underneath and its tail is grey, white tipped with black. Red Kites can weigh between 800 and 1.3kg and are between 24 – 26 inches long with a wingspan of approximately 5 feet. The females are usually larger and heavier than the males but the gender can only be determined by a blood test. It is easily recognised by its distinctive fork tail. The Red Kite is an elegant medium to large bird of prey which belongs to a family called Accipitridae. The first pair bred successfully in 1991 and there are now a over 200 breeding pairs in the Chilterns and from this foundation new populations are being established across the country. However between 19 a total of 93 kite chicks from Spain were released into the Chiltern Hills as part of a reintroduction programme. In the 16th and 17th Centuries, Red Kites were one of the most common birds of prey in England and yet by the 19th Century the entire population had been wiped out as they were considered a threat to livestock. Part of one of the longest running conservation programmes to reintroduce Red Kites back into England after their numbers plummeted. One of 3 or 4 species of Kites (classification is under revision) including the Black Kite and Yellow-billed Kite. Under the circumstances Red Kites should only be handled using gauntlets or strong welding gloves, holding round the middle and holding the wings folded against the body, keeping the bird held away from you. Red Kites have a very sharp, hooked beak which is designed for tearing meat, they also have long sharp talons which can cause a nasty injury if handled without protection.

Red kite size comparison