Red kite flying high after it was nearly wiped out
BIRDS lovers are celebrating 30 years since the red kite made a “triumphant comeback” from near extinction.
They were reduced to a few pairs 90 years ago after centuries of egg collecting until a reintroduction programme was launched in 1990 when 13 young birds were released in the South-east.
And there are now up to 10,000 of these majestic Spanish birds of prey across the UK, including 4,400 pairs breeding, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. They account for almost 10 per cent of the world red kite population.
They are a familiar sight with their long broad wings and forked tails which they twist and turn in mid-air.They can also hang in the air as if they were paper kites being held by string. But they also have a reputation for stealing clothes from laundry lines for their nests, even earning a mention by Shakespeare. He wrote in The Winter’s Tale: “When the kite builds, look to lesser linen.” In the Middle Ages the birds were also a common sight scavenging for carrion.
Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said: “Red kites are one of our most majestic birds of prey with a beautiful plumage, and are easily recognisable thanks to their soaring flight and mewing call. They have made a triumphant comeback in England over the past three decades thanks to this pioneering reintroduction programme.”
Jeff Knott, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: “The red-kite introduction project has been a fantastic example of conservation. It’s been amazing to see a species once persecuted to near extinction in this country, brought back and welcomed.”