Red Kite

The Red Kite has a light, graceful look, with long wings and a deeply forked tail that it often twists in flight. It feels less heavy than many other raptors, and its steady outline is easy to remember once you see it circling overhead.

It usually soars low and calmly, scanning below for food rather than rushing around. Its call is thin and piercing, and its overall manner is not aggressive, with a habit of relying on height and patience.

It uses old broadleaf and mixed woods near open ground, as well as farmed countryside. It feeds on small prey and carrion, especially larger animals, and in some places it also turns up around towns and gardens. In northern and eastern parts of its range, many move south for winter, while more and more now stay through the year.