The re-establishment of Red Kite breeding populations in Scotland and England

The sight of Red Kites Milvus milvus gliding and wheeling effortlessly in the skies of Scotland and England was once very familiar. Until recently, however, Red Kites were absent from much of this former range within the UK: a longstanding legacy of past persecution. Conservation measures now in hand have started to redress this. These measures were initiated during 1989-94, when the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (initially the Nature Conservancy Council) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds undertook a joint project to re-establish breeding populations of Red Kites in Scotland and England by translocation of nestlings from Sweden, Spain and Wales to sites in northern Scotland and southern England. Totals of 93 nestlings were released at each of these two sites. As a result, Red Kites bred successfully in Scotland and England in 1992. These populations are increasing, and wild-bred Red Kites produced by released birds are now being recruited into the breeding population. In 1996, at least 37 pairs bred in southern England and 16 pairs in northern Scotland. This paper reports on the background and progress of this project and the development of this work into a wider operational recovery programme by English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the RSPB.