As a result of this conservation progress, the red kite has been now categorised as “green” listed, or of lower conservation priority, in the UK Birds of Conservation Concern 4 in 2015. The British Trust for Ornithology Breeding Bird Survey records an incredible 1450% population increase for red kites in the UK between 19, amongst the fastest population increases for any bird species in the UK during this period. In 2017, it was estimated that there were about 6000 breeding pairs of red kites in the UK and Ireland representing as much as 25% of the world breeding population. This conservation programme for our only native species of raptor, which has all of its breeding population in Europe, has been extremely successful. Further releases took place from 2001 in Dumfries and Galloway, and then from 2007 near Aberdeen, using donor stock from the growing Scottish and English populations. From 1996-2001, about 100 red kites of German origin were released in central Scotland. Between 19, 93 red kites of Swedish origin were reintroduced on the Black Isle. For the next twenty years, a joint RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage project worked on the reintroduction of red kites in Scotland, with the ambition of one day restoring all its former range across all lowland areas and the upland margins. In 1989, the RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England started a programme of experimental reintroduction of red kites in Scotland and England with the support of Spain and Sweden. The red kite was a high priority for conservation efforts. Low productivity and low genetic diversity of the population were causes of concern. However, by the early 1980s there were still only around 50 breeding pairs of red kites confined to the central valleys of west Wales. The Welsh population of red kites partially recovered. In the early 1900s there was only a remnant population in the British Isles of around 5 breeding pairs in west Wales. By the 1870s the red kite was extinct in Scotland, as well as England and Ireland.
#RED KITE ABERDEEN SKIN#
From the late 1700s, the red kite was bought to the verge of extinction by changes in public attitudes, mainly the Victorian passion for game preservation, as well as the popularity at that time of skin and egg collecting. Indeed, this species has had a long association with man, which was also the primary reason for its swift demise. It was reported to be common in the countryside, and also urban areas, where it was sometimes protected as street cleaner in times of poor public sanitation, due to its scavenging behaviour. The magnificent red kite was once a common species in the British Isles. The history and future of red kite conservation
RSPB Scotland’s Duncan Orr-Ewing, who has worked on red kite conservation for nearly 25 years, explores these successes and highlights some of the issues that still need to be addressed if this bird’s population is to make a complete recovery. Red Kites are a significant and increasingly visible conservation success story across much of the UK although there remain conservation challenges, particularly in Scotland.
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