60 - 65cm long (Males are slightly smaller than females)
Wingspan:
175 - 195cm
Weight:
0.9 - 1.3kg
Colour:
Body - russet
Head - grey / white
Wings - red with white patches on underside
Tail - grey / white tipped with black (deeply forked)
(Juveniles are duller in colour than adults)
Voice:
Mew-like “weoo-weoo-weoo”, rapidly repeated
breeding
In March, kites begin to spend more time in potential nesting
areas. They will use nests abandoned by other birds, or will
build their own in tall trees. The nests are made from large
sticks and are normally lined with wool, which the birds collect
along with other unusual items such as pieces of plastic, and
sometimes even items of clothing.
By mid-April the female lays up to four white eggs, flecked
with light brown, of which one to three usually hatch after
34 days. The young birds fledge in about six to seven weeks
and will remain with their parents for a further week to ten
days.
feeding habits
Red kites mainly scavenge on dead animals, but will also feed
on chicks, small mammals and invertebrates such as beetles and
earthworms.
The belief that kites killed lambs and gamebirds led to their
widespread persecution in the past. In fact, kites pose no threat
to sheep farming or game rearing, though they will thrive on
dead lambs and pheasants.
A kite’s territory varies depending on the abundance of
food. Where food is plentiful, large numbers of kites can be
found living together.
monitoring the population
In June each year, young kites are fitted with coloured plastic
wing tags, marked with an individual letter, number or symbol.
A different colour is used each year, so the birds can be aged.
This work is carried out by the Southern England Kite Group (www.sekg.org.uk).
1989 Red
1990 Blue
1991 Yellow
1992 Black
1993 Green
1994 Orange
1995 Blue
1996 Yellow
1997 Black
1998 Yellow / Green
1999 Yellow / Black
2000 Yellow / Pink
2001 Yellow / Blue
2002 Yellow / White
2003 Yellow / Red
2004 Yellow / Yellow
2005 Yellow / Orange
2006 Yellow / Green
2007 Yellow / Purple
2008 no tagging
2009 Yellow / Pink
From 1998 onwards, the yellow tag indicated a Chilterns bird
and the other colour indicated the year. This is because chicks
were hatching in other re-introduction area from this time.
more
information
If you have a question about red kites, please email Cathy Rose at crose@chilternsaonb.org
