It is estimated that by 2012, the European population had decreased by almost 30% in the previous 34.5 years (three generations). Migrants travel south from their breeding grounds between August and November, returning between February and April (Snow and Perrins 1998). ![]() Most birds in north-east Europe are migratory, wintering mainly in southern France and Iberia, but with some travelling as far as Africa (del Hoyo et al. The Red Kite is endemic to the western Palearctic, with the European population encompassing 95% of its global breeding range. The worldwide population is thus estimated at 60,000 to 70,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International. A new global estimate of the red kite population shows a population of 33,500 to 39,000 breeding pairs, of which only 0 to 5 breeding pairs are not in Europe but in Morocco (Africa) (Aebischer & Scherler, 2021). The European (EU27) breeding population is estimated at 29.746 to 34.751 pairs in 17 countries. Reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates are less important prey. ![]() It takes a wide range of food, but feeds mainly on carrion and small to medium-sized mammals and birds. Formerly an urban scavenger, it still visits the edges of towns and cities. In winter it also occupies wasteland, scrub and wetlands. The species breeds in broadleaf woodlands and forests, mixed with farmland, pasture and heathland, to 2,500 m in Morocco (del Hoyo et al. Its call is a thin piping sound, similar to but less mewling than the common buzzard. Apart from the weight difference, the sexes are similar, but juveniles have a buff breast and belly. The white primary flight feathers contrast with the black wing tips and dark secondaries. The body, upper tail and wing coverts are rufous. The Red Kite ( Milvus milvus) is a medium-sized raptor (L 60 cm), bigger and paler than Black Kite ( Milvus migrans) with deeply forked tail.
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