News from the RSPB site

Red kite numbers are soaring across the UK.



A survey of red kites has revealed more than 300 pairs of red kites in the Chilterns, with pairs now breeding across West Berkshire.

The count estimates the UK population to have grown to around 1,200 breeding pairs, with the Scottish population now standing at 122 pairs.

Hester Phillips, of RSPB South East, said: “The knock-on effect of population rises in the Chilterns has seen this magnificent bird of prey spread into West Berkshire. A while back, they were fairly rare in the county but sightings have been increasing year on year.”

Red kites are now classified as “near threatened” by the World Conservation Union and the UK’s 1,200 pairs represent around 5% of the world population.

This magnificent bird of prey was once common across the British Isles before being wiped out by widespread killing during Victorian times. By the 1930s there were just 10 pairs left in a remote part of Wales. By the mid-1980s, there were still less than 100 pairs.

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