Is it true that red kites steal laundry to line their nests?

Yes. Various human material has been recorded in the fabric of red kite nests, including plastic bags, pieces of cloth (including laundry) and cuddly toys. The material chosen is often white or pale, and appears to be placed prominently in the nest during the weeks leading up to egg-laying. The behaviour is alluded to in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, when the rogue Autolycus says: ‘My traffic is sheets; when the kite builds, look to lesser linen’.

Recent research on black kites breeding in Spain suggests that the objects act as threats to other individuals, highlighting the dominance of the nest owner. Both members of a pair may contribute material to the nest, and while we do not have a figure for red kites breeding in the UK, roughly three-quarters of Spanish black kite nests studied contained decorative items.