Red Kite
"Salsa, Saffron, Chilli & Paprika"
Salsa, Saffron and Chilli are sisters and since we opened they have all lived and flown together in our shows. They swoop and dive and catch food in the air, demonstrating how kites eat on the wing.
Recently we have just introduced Chilli to Paprika and we are hoping they will go on to have a family of their own.
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RED KITE FACTS
Milvus milvus
TERRITORY/LOCATION
The red kite is almost entirely restricted to Europe. In Britain it is present throughout the year, whilst the majority of birds in central Europe move south to spend the winter in Iberia.
HABITAT
Red kites inhabit broadleaf woodlands, valleys and wetland edges.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Near Threatened
DIET
The red kite's diet consists mainly of small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, young hares and rabbits. It feeds on a wide variety of carrion including sheep carcasses and dead game birds. Live birds are also taken and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Earthworms form an important part of the diet, especially in spring.
SIZE/WEIGHT
60 to 70cm long, males weigh 800–1,200g and females 1,000–1,600g with a 175–195cm wingspan and long forked tail.
NESTING
The nest is made of twigs and lined with grass or other vegetation and sheep’s wool, breeding season from March - April. Between 1 - 4 eggs.
LIFE EXPECTANCY
18 years average age in the wild
25 years oldest recorded in the wild
38 years oldest recorded in captivity
SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM
Animalia
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves
ORDER
Accipitriformes
FAMILY
Accipitridae
GENUS
Milvus
SPECIES
M. milvus
DID YOU KNOW?
As scavengers, red kites are particularly susceptible to poisoning. Illegal poison baits set for foxes or crows are indiscriminate and kill protected birds and other animals. There have also been a number of incidents of red kites and other raptors being targeted by wildlife criminals. According to a report by the Welsh Kite Trust, the UK is the only country in which the red kite population is increasing. Red kites are decreasing in their strongholds of Spain, France and Germany, they remained protected in England and Wales for the next 100 years as they kept the streets free of carrion and rotting food.
