A Red Kite (Latin name: Milvus milvus) has been seen flying over RSPB Geltsdale. We are getting more and more sightings of this beautiful bird of prey, which is recognisable by its reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail, so read on to learn more about it.
Red Kites have been heavily persecuted and were at risk of extinction in the UK as a result. By the early 20th century there were just a few breeding pairs in the UK - all in Wales, however they have been saved by one of the world’s longest-running protection programmes and have now been successfully re-introduced to England and Scotland. They are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, meaning it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb an active Red Kite nest.
Red Kites can be seen in the UK all year round. They measure between 58 and 64 cm in length and weigh 1 to 1.2 kg, with a wingspan of 180 cm. They live an average of four years. Their bodies are rusty brown in colour, while their wings are reddish-brown at the shoulders with darker tips and edges, and white underneath with darker, fingered tips. Their heads are pale grey and patterned with dark streaks. Their beaks are yellow with a dark hook and they have strikingly pale eyes. They sometimes catch live prey but often just scavenge, eating scraps of carrion and roadkill and small prey such as rabbits. They were common in London in the time of Shakespeare, feeding on scraps and collecting rags and stolen pieces of washing off lines to line their nests. Shakespeare made reference to this in The Winter’s Tale, writing: “When the kite builds, look to lesser linen”.
Kites nest in broadleaved woodland, searching for food in wooded valleys, open countryside, towns and suburban areas. They often build their nests on top of old crows’ nests, lined with scraps of cloth and sheep’s wool and adorned with materials including plastic and paper. They first breed at two years old and produce a single clutch of around three eggs. They are monogamous, mating for life, and pairs will return to the same nests each season, adding more material to them each time. Once eggs are laid, female Red Kites incubate them while the males find food. Chicks fledge around 60 days after hatching and continue to be fed by their parents for a few weeks after that.
Listen out for the distinctive ‘mewing’ call of Red Kites while walking on the reserve and in the surrounding countryside, and see if you can spot one for yourself. They are active during the day and may be seen wheeling and soaring high up in the sky.