BTO BirdFacts | Red Kite

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Page updated:16-January-2013

	Order: Accipitriformes	Family: Accipitridae
	BTO Codes: KT, REDKI	EURING No: 2390
	Number in Britain: 1000 pairs (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: AMBER
	European: 2 Concern, most in Europe; Declining
	Global: Near Threatened (Details)
Links to: Images Videos Sound

Status in UK: (AC3) Resident/Re-Introduced Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: milvus recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 63 cm	Wingspan: 185 cm	Weight: M: 1000 g F: 1.2 kg

Scientific name from:	L.: milvus=a kite
World Distribution:	Locally throughout Europe & nw Africa

Habitat:	Pasture, open woodland, forest
Diet:	Scavenger on carrion, scraps, will take small live prey
TitBit:	This was once a common bird in London (Shakespeare referred to kites no fewer than 15 times), where it scavenged for scraps, and old rags for nest-building.

	Population Trend:	No population trend available
	Distribution:	No distribution maps available

British Population Size:

Summer: 1043 pairs in 2005-09 Holling, M. & RBBP (2011) British Birds 104:476-537

First Record: Recorded in Anglo-Saxon times Bircham, P. 2007. A history of ornithology, Collins. [805 BIR]

[Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]

Latest Survey: Holling, M. & RBBP (2011) British Birds 104:476-537

Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 RED Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern: milvus AMBER (European Concern)

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

No habitat data from BBS

European Population Size:

Summer: 19 to 25 thousand pairs Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(I,IV), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), CITES(II)

Survey Results:

Results from Welsh Kite Trust

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 57 x 45 mm	Egg Weight: 63.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)

Number of Nest Records: 8
Clutch Size: 2 eggs
Incubation: 31- 32 days		by the: Female (occ. Male)
Fledging: 50 - 60days		as: Altricial, downy

First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1

Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.610
Juvenile Survival: 0.500 (in First-Year)

Age at First Breeding: 2 years	Typical Lifespan: 4 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 20 years 1 months 15 days (set in 2005)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Carter, I. 2001 The red kite Arlequin Press, Chelmsford [598.521 CAR]
Cross, T. & Davis, P. 2005 The Red Kites of Wales

See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead

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