Red Kite
Milvus milvus
It is recognised by its deeply forked, rufous tail, which it constantly twists to steer while soaring. A large share of the world population breeds in Germany, giving the country a special responsibility for this species.
- Group
- Birds of Prey
- Photos
- 1
- Taken
- 2024
Profile: Red Kite
- Family
- Hawks, eagles and kites (Accipitridae)
- Size
- approx. 61–72 cm
- Wingspan
- approx. 150–180 cm
- Weight
- approx. 0.8–1.4 kg
- Habitat
- Varied farmland with meadows and fields, where copses and woodland edges provide nest sites.
- Diet
- Small mammals, birds, earthworms, insects and carrion, often taken while quartering low over freshly mown meadows.
- When to see
- Partly resident, mostly a short-distance migrant: many birds are present from about February/March to October and winter in south-western Europe, some as close as southern France; increasingly, birds also stay in Central Europe over winter.
Learn more: Wikipedia · NABU (German)