Red kite

The red kite is a medium-sized bird of prey with a wingspan of up to 1.6 metres. In flight, the red kite can easily be recognised by its slender silhouette and its deeply forked tail. It has contrasting russet-brown and white plumage. Its diet is a relatively eclectic, made up of rodents, reptiles and invertebrates. It is also a willing scavenger. It is for this reason that red kites can sometimes be seen in large number near landfill sites, and often in the company of black kites.