Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Aves › Accipitriformes › Accipitridae › Milvus
Conservation status: least_concern
The red kite is a large, elegant bird of prey with a russet-red body, pale head, and distinctive long, deeply forked tail that makes it instantly recognizable in flight. It hunts small mammals, birds, and insects by soaring gracefully over open countryside, and was nearly extinct in Britain before successful reintroduction programs brought it back to our skies.
How To Identify
It possesses broad, powerful wings designed for efficient soaring and measures up to 1.5 meters in length; it is characterized by deep rusty-red plumage on the neck, back, and tail.
Habitat
It lives in open woodland, farmland, and on hillsides, with strongholds in Wales and reintroduced across England.
Behaviour
The Red Kite is easily identified in flight because it soars effortlessly on thermals and possesses a distinctive forked tail.
Native Range
The red kite is currently known to breed only in Europe.
Did You Know?
Red Kites decorate their nests with litter and scraps of clothing — researchers use this to track nests.
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