The Link Winter 2019/2020 The Link Dec-Jan 2020 v3 | Page 12

Red kite - photo courtesy of Nicholas Armitt The red kite is easily identified by its distinctive long forked tail, striking chestnut colour and mewing calls. It is a large bird of prey with angled, red wings that are tipped with black and have white patches underneath the 'hand'. With a 2m-long wingspan, they are incredibly agile and can soar aloft for hours at a time. In the UK the red kite was a valued scavenger during the Middle Ages that helped keep streets clean and was protected by a royal decree; killing a kite attracted capital punishment. However, by the 16th century a bounty was placed on its head and, in common with many other birds of prey, it was relentlessly persecuted as 'vermin'. The Red Kite (Milvus milvus) S eeing the magnificent red kite soaring high in the sky is a glorious sight and testimony to the efforts of conservationists across the UK over many decades. The red kite was persecuted to extinction in England and Scotland and by 1903 there were only a few pairs left in Wales. However, the red kite has made a tremendous comeback thanks to reintroduction programmes and legal protection. 12 Red kites were still common in Shakespearean London, where they fed on scraps in the streets and collected rags or stole washing from lines for nest-building materials. Shakespeare even referred to this in 'The Winter's Tale': 'When the kite builds, look to lesser linen'. The nest of a red kite is untidy, often built on top of an old Crow's nest. It is lined with sheep's wool and decorated with all kinds of objects like paper, plastic and cloth. Although they are scavengers, eating carrion and scraps, taking only small prey like rabbits, in the past red kites were persecuted as hunters of game and domestic animals. As a result the increasing rarity of the red kite made it a prime target for egg collectors and bounty hunters, who robbed up to a quarter of nests each year. So more sophisticated nest protection initiatives during the 1950s and 1960s succeeded in reducing the proportion of nests robbed, and thankfully now this is no longer regarded as a serious problem. To advertise call 01684 833715 or email: [email protected]