It is a defence response to a perceived threat from a predatory bird. Crows have few predators in the UK but are aggressive birds that are fiercely territorial. However any species of bird can join in with the mobbing of birds that are potential predators.
They are often positioned in a major fork of a tree with strong supporting branches, or sometimes balanced on a lateral branch, as pictured here. They are lined with sheep's wool or dry grass and are often decorated with paper, rags, string and scraps of plastic which can sometimes be seen hanging from the main nest.
Both birds build the nest on a main fork or a limb high in a tree, 12-20m above the ground. It is constructed of dead twigs and lined with grass and sheep's wool. A couple of days prior to egg laying, kites decorate the nest with rubbish and oddments they find near the nest.
Red kites usually take the same mate year after year, but 'divorces' aren't unheard of! They will often also re-use the same nest year after year. The association between the pairs is looser during the winter than in the breeding season. Their courtship displays in February and March re-establish their pair bond.
An ideal habitat for Red Kites would be rural countryside, with woodlands, farmland, open spaces and country lanes. They nest in March / April and usually lay 1 – 4 eggs which hatch after about 30 days.
"Is there a collective noun for a group of Red Kites?" A 'roost' of red kites - which is normally used to describe the communal winter gatherings. Also 'husk', 'kettle' and 'soar'.
A red kite can fly to a height of 2,600 ft (800 m).
The graceful Red Kite is larger than a Buzzard and has long wings and a very distinctive forked tail, which makes the kites very agile in flight.
They're not attacking people they are just trying to find food." "The birds cannot differentiate between food that is deliberately put out for them and visitors' picnics. “The National Trust, the BTO, the RSPB and the Chilterns Conservation Board all urge the public not to feed red kites.
Red kites are more slender than the broad winged thick set buzzard and also have a longer wing span. However the main way to distinguish the species (apart from the colour) is the animal's tail. The buzzard has a short broad fanned tail whilst the red kite has a very distinctive long forked tail.
The kite responds, and the two clash, before tiring, falling back and then launching at each other again. The kite loses ground and drifts backwards towards the hare, which rears up on its hind legs but holds its ground. The two birds continue to fight, kicking their feet at each other again and again.
Outside the breeding season the kite is habitually a gregarious species and can be found in communal night time roosts at favoured locations.
- 50-67 thou. 24-26 yrs.
- 183 km/h. 800-1,300 g.
- 60-70 cm. 175-179 cm.
Although feeding red kites isn't illegal, I hope that people who currently do so in the Chilterns will take heed of these concerns, and consider stopping or at least reducing their feeding. More about red kites in the Chilterns AONB.
You can spot them high in the sky as the glide above trees and buildings. Listen out for their loud, distinctive screech as they soar. It's easier to spot a Red Kite during mid-morning as they tend to hunt for prey at around this time of day.
Red kites inhabit broadleaf woodlands, valleys and wetland edges, to 800 metres (2,600 ft). They are native to the western Palearctic, with the European population of 19,000–25,000 pairs encompassing 95% of its global breeding range.
Feeding habits:Red kites eat mainly dead animals that they are able to find (carrion) – their feet are too weak to kill any prey much bigger than a small rabbit. They will also feed on chicks, small mammals and invertebrates such as beetles and earthworms.
There are probably around 1,800 breeding pairs in Britain (about 7 per cent of the world population) - about half in Wales, with the rest in England and Scotland. However, they are now so successful, we can't survey them on an annual basis.
The Red Kite now has a self-sustaining population, whose numbers are gradually increasing yearly. This is a far cry from a species which was persecuted to extinction in England and Scotland by the end of the 1800s. At the last count there were over 300 Red Kites in the area around Harewood and Yorkshire.
Kites are primarily carnivorous, and feed on a wide variety of prey. Each species hunts different prey, and birds in separate regions sometimes have entirely different diet compositions. These birds eat anything from mice, rats, and squirrels, to lizards, snakes, and frogs.
Where to see red kites in the UK
- Tollie Red Kites, Dingwall, Highland.
- Argaty Red Kites, Doune, Perthshire.
- Galloway Red Kite Trail, near Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway.
- Derwent Valley, Gateshead.
- Harewood House, Yorkshire.
- Bwlch Nant Yr Arian, Ceredigion.
- Gigrin Farm, Powys.
- Top Lodge, Northamptonshire.
The first is whether these large predatory birds put smaller birds or even pets at risk. For small birds the risk is very low since red kites feed mostly on dead animals. As for rabbits, guinea pigs etc, these are simply too big to be taken by a kite.
Once confined only to Wales, the red kite is slowly returning to other parts of the UK. They are now easily spotted in the Chilterns and central Scotland, and are spreading across much of southern England. Red kites can be seen all year round and are active during the day.
Red Kites are scavengers, drifting around on their long, buoyant, wings looking for food items on the ground. If the food item is too large to carry off, they may land on the ground – but they are very wary and will generally wait until crows have fed on it first, as though making sure that it's not a trap!
The Red Kite is a scavenger. Mostly eating sheep carcasses, dead rabbits, road kill and other forms of carrion. However the Red Kite also kills live prey including mice, voles, rabbits, squirrels, birds up to the size of crow and gull. They also eat worms, beetles and other large insects.
If you do have Red Kites visiting your garden we'd advise not feeding until late afternoon to allow them to use their natural foraging habits earlier in the day and the best foods are those based on whole small mammals (e.g. mouse or rat). Don't use any carcasses that may have been poisoned.
