The Chilterns Conservation Board have discouraged feeding Red Kites, who they call one of Britain’s most magnificent and distinctive birds of prey, with fanned forked tails, a reddish-brown body and a distinctive mewing.
Here are some of their reasons why:
1. Feeding encourages red kites to become bolder than they naturally would be and to fly too close for comfort. They have sharp claws and a wingspan of around six foot. If the birds become a nuisance this could change public support for the welfare of these birds, perhaps leading us back down the road towards the persecution of red kites – part of the worrying history of these birds.
2. Feeding encourages concentrated numbers of kites in one area. This discourages songbirds and ground nesting birds from feeding and successfully bringing up their young.
3. The scraps of uncooked and cooked meat that people feed red kites don’t present a balanced, healthy diet.
4. Red kites can drop scraps of meat onto neighbouring gardens and properties which is a health risk and attracts rats and vermin (the Conservation Board has even received complaints about scraps of meat dropping directly onto people’s heads!).
5. Feeding discourages red kites from expanding their range and looking for new breeding territories and sources of food. This disrupts their natural population spread.
6. Red kites can feed and thrive successfully in their natural habitat without our assistance. People were encouraged to feed them during their reintroduction in the 1990s, but now that this species is doing well, feeding is no longer necessary.
The board advise that it’s far better to enjoy them soaring high above our gardens or in their natural environment on a walk in the Chilterns hills.
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