Description
Red Kite Feeding on the Wing
Red Kite Hovering. This young red kite was on the ground protecting some scavenged food it has found. It was telling other birds to keep clear. A majestic scavenger, the red kite searches for food in almost any environment, then returns to nest in broad leaved woodland. Look out for them wheeling high in the air, or nesting up in the canopy.
What do red kites look like?
These fabulous birds have a rusty reddish-brown body with a deeply forked tail. Their head is pale grey and patterned with dark streaks, and they have a yellow beak with a dark hook and pale, striking eyes.
Their angular wings span 185cm. On the upper side they are red-brown at the shoulders with darker tips and edges, while underneath there are characteristic blocks of white before darker, fingered wing tips.
What do kites eat?
The red kite is a scavenger and eats mostly carrion, road kill and worms. If necessary, it will sometimes catch small, live prey such as voles, mice and birds.
How do kites breed?
They first breed at two years old and produce a single clutch of around three eggs. As monogamous birds, mating pairs will return to the same nests each season, adding new material to them during the breeding period.
The female stays with the eggs while the male sources her food. When the eggs hatch, chicks stay in the nest until they fledge at around 60 days old. They will then continue to be fed by their parents for a few weeks.
The red kite is attracted to shiny and colourful objects, often incorporating them into their nests.
Curated content source
Red Kite Feeding on the Wing
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