Bird of the Month: Red Kite

The bird of this month is a red kite. No, not the kind that's attached to strings that you hold when you are a little kid, but the big-bird-of-prey-that's-very-scary kind. You can see them flying above major cities or roads, looking for road kill, and generally showing off their beautiful russet feathers. These magnificent birds have an amazing story behind their presence, though.

How did it start? 
Despite the fact that they are as common as mud nowadays, there was a time when you would be lucky to spot one  during the course of your lifetime.
However, they weren't always that rare. In the medieval times,  they were treated like kings, as they were the main cleaners of London's streets. Any dead animals or rodents were whisked away before you could even blink. Because of that, they were granted protection from hunters or poachers. However, as the people of London became cleaner, things started going down hill. Due to a terrible combination of poisoning, food loss, and persecution, they were almost hunted to extinction. (literally!)

Over the course of three hundred years, they were becoming less and less common. Soon, all that were left were only a handful of breeding pairs in Wales!
Also, because the red kites were becoming so rare, their eggs were becoming a coveted trophy among the egg collectors. Raids would be made around the time of the egg laying season, so any young the parents might have had was carried off by the collectors and destroyed.

So, what happened next?
The RSPB and the NCC decided to re-introduce the red kites back into Britain. It definitely wasn't a spur of the moment decision, as before they even though about doing this, they had to think though several important points. What was the cause (s) of extinction, and whether there was any risk of those causes disrupting or stopping the breeding program, as well as whether the environment could support a population of red kites again, and most importantly, was there even a red kite population in the first place?

Red kites can easily be spotted due to their
 easily recognizable forked tail.

This project was launched in 1989, but had a shaky start. Poachers took advantage of the new birds coming in, and egg stealing was even more popular. However, in 2001, poachers could now be taken into custody, and when people realised that grabbing a few eggs wasn't worth the risk of being put behind bars, they stopped pretty quickly.

Could I see one today?
Yes!  They are pretty easy to spot, with a dark russet red body with black and white flashes on the wings. You may be confused with all the miscellaneous BSBs* out there, but you can easily tell the difference by looking at its tail; if it is forked, then it will be a red kite!
I hope you enjoyed, and I wish you all a happy hunting!

*Big Scary Birds, as those of us not in the know call them.