Red kites’ ‘triumphant comeback’ after 30 years

were frequently seen thereafter, but it is not possible to establish if one of them is the tagged eagle while they are flying around.

“Farmers, gamekeepers, shepherds and local people have been looking out to see if they can find any trace of this bird.”

He added: “Raptors are a common sight in the area, particularly buzzards, but also hen harriers and golden eagles.

“It is important to all of us that we establish what has happened to this young bird.

“We realise that when a tag stops transmitting there will be speculation as to whether it has died or has been killed.

“However, as searches have found nothing and eagles were recorded flying in the area shortly after the tag stopped transmitting and thereafter, this bird could well be still flying around with a malfunctioning tag.

“What we know at this stage is a tag stopped working and we are appealing for anyone who may have any information to contact Police Scotland.”

A spokesman for conservation charity RSPB Scotland said: “This is an active and ongoing police inquiry and it would be inappropriate to comment at this stage.”

The return of red kites has been hailed as a “triumphant comeback” 30 years on from the start of the scheme to reintroduce the bird to England’s skies.

In what environmental experts say may be the biggest species success story in UK conservation history, the once-vanished bird is now soaring over countryside, gardens and towns across swathes of England. In three decades, the species has gone from a small number of breeding pairs in Wales, to thousands of birds across the UK, thanks to a reintroduction scheme seen time, conservationists said.

The large bird of prey cuts a distinctive silhouette with wing tips that look like splayed fingers and a forked tail.

Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said: “Thanks to this pioneering reintroduction programme in the Chilterns, increased legal protection and collaboration amongst partners, the red kite stands out as a true conservation success story.” as

“radical” at the