Red Kites have a large wingspan – up to 1.5 meters across – making them look much larger than they actually are when in flight.Red Kites perform a complex aerial courtship ritual.The Red Kites eyesight is 4x stronger than humans.Red Kites can reach dive speeds up to 113 mph or 183 kph when hunting.Red kites are soaring birds, living almost entirely on the wing.They are migratory, breeding in Europe in summer but wintering in Africa. Red Kites are monogamous, with pairs often staying together for life.Red Kites are common across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and as far south as South Africa.The scientific name for Red Kites is “Milvus Milvus”.Red kites are a member of the broader family of hawks, and closely related to both eagles and buzzards.In order to construct a nest, the kite will break off twigs and small branches from nearby vegetation or shrubs, and will line the nest with sheep’s wool, and grass weaving them together into a cup shape. These raptors usually lay one to four eggs each year and both parents share responsibility for incubating it and raising the chick after hatching. Nesting Habits: Nests are often constructed on a main fork or a limb high in a tree, or other tall structure, such as a utility pole, or rooftop from which they can perch to scan for prey.Clutch Size: 1-4 eggs (each egg is laid at 3-day intervals).Incubation Length: 31-32 days (per egg).Conservation Status: Near Threatened (Population decreasing).Diet: Insects such as locusts, grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, fish, lizards, frogs, lizards, snakes, rabbits, squirrels, mice, voles, rats, birds or carrion (dead animals).Habitat: The red kite’s habitat ranges from open plains to dense forests and wetlands with shrubs and tall grasses and even mountainsides.Migration: They are known to migrate southwards for winter which is typically November through March.Range: The red kite’s range extends from Southern Europe to North Africa and eastwards across Asia to Pakistan, India, China, Japan and South Korea.Identification: The red kite has an unmistakable appearance that’s even more striking when seen in aerial flight: They have a gray head with fine black streaks, a reddish-brown plumage with black streaks on the wingtips, a forked tail, a yellow beak, and a yellow iris, with black pupils.In this article, we will explore 55 fun facts about Red Kites with photos for identification purposes! Overview They are members of the Accipitridae family and, like other raptors, they use their keen eyesight to hunt small mammals, reptiles, insects and even other birds. Red Kites are magnificent birds of prey that can be found throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
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