{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "red-kite",
  "name": "Red Kite",
  "scientificName": "Milvus milvus",
  "category": "Bird",
  "summary": "The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a slender, rusty-red bird of prey with long angled wings and a deeply forked tail, found almost only in Europe. A scavenger and opportunist, it eats carrion, worms and small animals. Once reduced in Britain to a few pairs in Wales, it was reintroduced from 1989 and is now common again. It is listed as Least Concern with an increasing population.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Identification",
      "body": "Red kites are rufous with dark streaks, a pale grey head and pale yellow eyes. In flight look for the long, angled wings with a white patch near each tip and the deeply forked chestnut tail, which twists constantly as the bird steers. The call is a thin, whistling 'weee-ooo'."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Scavenger of the skies",
      "body": "Red kites rarely kill large prey. They glide low over fields and roads looking for dead animals, earthworms, insects and small mammals, and often gather where food is put out for them. Their light build lets them stay in the air for hours with little effort."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Britain's comeback",
      "body": "Centuries of persecution left only a few pairs in mid-Wales by the early 20th century. From 1989 birds from Spain and Sweden were released in the Chilterns and northern Scotland, and later at other sites. Together with the Welsh birds they have grown into a population of thousands of pairs."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Status",
      "body": "BirdLife International lists the red kite as Least Concern (2020) with 60,000 to 70,000 mature birds and an increasing trend. Illegal poisoning and rodenticides remain threats in parts of its range."
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "How do you tell a red kite from a buzzard?",
      "answer": "Red kites have a deeply forked tail, longer and narrower angled wings, and rusty plumage. Buzzards have a short, rounded tail and broader wings."
    },
    {
      "question": "Are red kites dangerous to people?",
      "answer": "No. They sometimes swoop for food dropped or held outdoors, but they do not attack people."
    },
    {
      "question": "Where do red kites live?",
      "answer": "Almost entirely in Europe. Germany, France and Spain hold most of the world's population, and Britain now has thousands of pairs."
    },
    {
      "question": "How long do red kites live?",
      "answer": "BTO data give a typical life expectancy of about 4 years once a bird reaches breeding age, but the oldest ringed bird lived 25 years and 8 months."
    }
  ],
  "sourceUpdate": null,
  "evidence": [],
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Aves",
    "order": "Accipitriformes",
    "family": "Accipitridae",
    "genus": "Milvus"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 1.1,
    "lengthM": 0,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0,
    "lifespanYears": 4
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Milvus milvus"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Carrion, earthworms, small mammals and birds"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Farmland and grassland with woods for nesting"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "Average about 1.1 kg"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Typically 4 years; oldest ringed bird 25 years 8 months"
    },
    {
      "label": "Range",
      "value": "Europe (largest numbers in Germany, France and Spain)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Europe, mainly Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Britain, with small numbers in North Africa.",
    "continents": [
      "Europe"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Red Kite Milvus milvus. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.",
      "url": "https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/red-kite-milvus-milvus"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web: Milvus milvus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Milvus_milvus/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "BTO BirdFacts: Red Kite. British Trust for Ornithology.",
      "url": "https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/red-kite"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898",
      "url": null
    },
    {
      "citation": "Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.",
      "url": "https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-kite/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-kite/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}