Red Kite Bird Details
Milvus milvus
Red Kite,Red Hawk, Fork-tailed Kite;
Lal Cheel
Linnaeus (1758)
Accipitriformes (HAWKS, EAGLES and KITES)
Accipitridae
Accipiter
Europe, UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, and Poland, North Africa , India.
Appearance :
Upperparts is chestnut-red with dark streaks. Underparts is pale with rufous coloring and dark streaks. Pale yellow eyes, giving it a sharp, piercing gaze.
Behaviour :
Opportunistic feeder that glides gracefully in search of prey or carrion. It often scavenges for food but also hunts small mammals and birds. Known for its buoyant and elegant flight with twisting and turning motions. The forked tail helps in agile maneuvers during flight. Monogamous, pairs typically mate for life and return to the same territory year after year.
Habitat :
Open countryside, woodlands, and farmlands. Prefers mixed landscapes with forests for nesting and open areas for hunting. Red Kites often nest in tall trees in woodlands, especially near open fields or farmlands.
Diet :
Primarily scavengers, feeding on carrion such as roadkill and dead animals. Occasionally hunts small mammals (like rabbits and voles), birds, and insects. Also eats earthworms and scraps in human-populated areas.
Conservation Status :
Near Threatened
Distribution :
Found in much of Europe, with populations in parts of North Africa and limited areas of western Asia.
Population Size :
The global population is estimated to be around 19,000 to 25,000 breeding pairs.
Life Span :
Around 10–15 years in the wild, although individuals have been recorded to live up to 25–30 years.
Body And Tarsus:
- Body: The Red Kite has a slender, graceful body with a distinctive forked tail, giving it an elegant appearance in flight. It has long, narrow wings and a streamlined build for gliding over long distances.
- Tarsus Length: The tarsus (lower leg) measures approximately 5.5 to 6 cm, adapted for gripping and handling prey.
Head And Bill :
- Head: The head is relatively small compared to its body, with a light greyish-brown plumage and streaked markings. It has a keen, piercing gaze due to its sharp, yellow eyes.
- Bill: Strong, hooked bill designed for tearing flesh.
- Bill Length: About 2–2.5 cm in length, short but sharp with a yellow base and black tip.
Length :
The Red Kite typically measures around 60–70 cm in body length.
Neck :
The neck is short and strong, allowing for quick movements while scanning for prey or handling food.
Size :
It is a medium-sized bird of prey, larger than most hawks but smaller than eagles, with females slightly larger than males.
Tail Details :
- Tail: Shape: Long, deeply forked tail, which is a signature feature of the Red Kite.
- Tail Length: Typically around 25–30 cm, helping the bird in sharp turns and agile flight maneuvers.
- Feathers: The upperparts are reddish-brown, with darker streaks. The underparts are paler with reddish hues and dark streaks. The long flight feathers are dark, contrasting with the paler coverts.
Weight :
Males: 800–1,100 grams. Females: 1,000–1,300 grams.
Wing :
Long, slender wings with a characteristic dihedral shape (V-shaped when gliding). This wing shape helps in graceful and buoyant flight, allowing the kite to soar with minimal effort.
Wing Span :
The wingspan is between 175–195 cm.
Facial Feature :
Sharp, pale yellow eyes with excellent vision, helping them locate prey from great heights. Strong, hooked, yellow with a black tip for tearing food, and a yellow cere (the fleshy area at the base of the beak).
Nest Details :
- Nest: The nest is built in tall trees, often in mixed or deciduous woodlands. The pair may return to the same nesting site for multiple years, refurbishing the nest each season.
- Nest Made up of: Nests are constructed from twigs and branches, lined with softer materials like grass, leaves, and occasionally wool. Red Kites are known to incorporate human-made debris like plastic or paper into their nests.
Breeding Season :
Red Kites generally breed once a year, with courtship starting in late winter to early spring, typically from March to May.
Nesting Season :
Nest building begins in March, with eggs laid between April and May.
Egg Color :
The eggs are white with light brown or reddish spots.
Egg Length :
Approximately 56–60 mm.
Egg Width and Weight :
- Egg Width: Around 45–47 mm.
- Egg Weight: Each egg weighs around 50–60 grams.
Clutch Size :
Typically, a clutch consists of 1 to 3 eggs, although larger clutches of 4 eggs are occasionally observed.
No. of Broods :
1 brood per year is typical, but if the first clutch fails, the pair may attempt to lay a second clutch.
Incubation Period :
The incubation period lasts for 31–38 days.
Nestling Period :
Chicks remain in the nest for about 48–60 days before fledging.
Vocalization :
The Red Kite has a distinctive, high-pitched whistling call, often described as “peeee-ooo” or “wheeoo,” especially during the breeding season.
Sex Demorphism :
Females are larger than males, both in body weight and wingspan.
Migration Details :
Type: Partial migratory species. In areas where food is abundant year-round (like the UK), populations may remain resident. However, Red Kites in colder regions of Europe, such as Scandinavia, migrate to warmer regions during the winter.
Migration Period: Autumn migration occurs from September to November, and spring migration happens from March to May.
Migration Route: Northern European populations, such as those in Scandinavia, migrate southward to southern Europe (e.g., Spain and Portugal) or North Africa. These birds follow well-established migratory routes, often crossing the Pyrenees Mountains or the Mediterranean Sea.