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Red Kite

Milvus milvus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernScavenger

ShrublandPlatform nestLarge · 1.1 kg

Red Kite (Milvus milvus), photo 1 — Photo: Tim Sträter · CC BY 2.0

Red Kite (Milvus milvus), photo 2 — Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0

Red Kite (Milvus milvus), photo 3 — Photo: Noel Reynolds · CC BY 2.0

Red Kite (Milvus milvus), photo 4 — Photo: TRinaud · CC BY 4.0

Red Kite (Milvus milvus), photo 5 — Photo: TRinaud · CC BY 4.0

Red Kite (Milvus milvus), photo 6 — Photo: Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart · CC BY 4.0

Red Kite (Milvus milvus), photo 7 — Photo: Ralf Hüsges · CC BY 4.0

What the Red Kite sounds like

Sonogram of the Red Kite: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Nicolas Martinez · Song · Rodersdorf, Dorneck, Solothurn, Switzerland · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Sonogram of the Red Kite: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by René Heinrich · Wildpark Edersee (near Edertal), Kassel, Hessen, Germany · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Sonogram of the Red Kite: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Tanguy Loïs · Call · Arrondissement de Corte (near Albertacce), Haute-Corse, Corsica, France · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

Red kites are 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 in) long with a 175–195 cm (69–77 in) wingspan; males weigh 800–1,200 g (28–42 oz), and females 1,000–1,300 g (35–46 oz). It is an elegant bird, soaring on long wings held at a dihedral, and long forked tail, twisting as it changes direction. The body, upper tail and wing coverts are rufous. The white primary flight feathers contrast with the black wing tips and dark secondaries. Apart from the weight difference, the sexes are similar, but juveniles have a buff breast and belly.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Red Kite

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Red Kite

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 44 countries with regular records, and 7 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Finland, Mauritania, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Faroe Islands, Jersey, Malta.

About the Red Kite

The red kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds only in Europe, though it formerly also bred in West Asia and Northwest Africa. Historically, it was only resident in the milder parts of its range in Western Europe and Northwestern Africa, whereas all or most red kites in Northern mainland Europe wintered to the south and west, some also reaching western Asia, but an increasing number of northern birds now remain in that region year-round. Vagrants have reached north to Finland and south to Israel, Libya and the Gambia.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

Black KiteMilvus migransBlack kites can be distinguished from red kites by their slightly smaller size, less forked tail (visible in flight), and generally dark plumage without any rufous.

Side by side: Black Kite vs Red Kite

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