Kites are commonly seen scavenging on dead game birds and sheep carcasses and it is this natural behaviour that continues to make them vulnerable to illegal killing through poisoning. Red kites are one of Britains most magnificent and distinctive birds of prey, with fanned forked tails, a reddish-brown body and a distinctive mewing call. Red kites are a medium-sized bird of prey with a varied diet that includes small mammals (voles, mice, young rabbits), worms and beetles but mostly features carrion. Just in the last 30 years, in a joint RSPB/Nature Conservancy Council project, Swedish red kites were re-introduced to several sites across the country and there are now thought to be around 300 pairs in Scotland. Once the most familiar bird of prey in Britain, kites were persecuted as vermin by the 19th century and all but exterminated. With its agile wings and rudder-like tail, the red kite has amazing manoeuvrability, giving its name to the toy kite (in 1664!) and making it one of our most watchable and elegant hunters. It was spotted in Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire, in July and found to be 9,518 days - or 26 years - old. In the UK the red kite was a valued scavenger during the Middle Ages that. A red kite has been identified as the oldest to survive in the wild in Britain and Ireland. The kite's effortless aerial displays - sometimes performed by groups of 20 or 30 or even more - are a special sight to behold. The red kite is one of few bird species in Britain that fulfils all the criteria. The Red Kite is arguably Scotland's most recognisable bird of prey, with it striking, fan-shaped tail and glorious russet colouring.
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