The sight of a Red Kite, or two, or three, gently soaring over our countryside is now, once more, a familiar thing. The reintroduction of this species to Britain must rate as one of the conservation success stories of the modern era. Once a common bird over much of the country, even haunting the litter-ridden and filthy streets of our cities, Red Kites were seen as disease-carrying vermin and bounties were paid for their carcasses. The population retreated, finding a final refuge in the valleys of central Wales. A handful of breeding pairs hung on. In 1989, six birds were released at a site in Scotland and a further four birds were released in the Chilterns. Red Kites are extremely long-winged and long-tailed and very large, with slightly larger bodies and very much longer wings than a Buzzard. They are predominantly rufous red, with dark wing tips and pale outer wings. The head is pale, with older birds developing almost white heads, and the long, red tail is deeply forked and used as a stabiliser in flight, twisting back and forth, a characteristic clue to the Red Kites identity, even with only distant views.
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