A British red kite takes flight from an aviary nestled in the remote hills of western Spain. At six months old, it experiences its first taste of freedom.
Silently, the bird soars into the sky above the scrubland, disappearing within seconds into a distant, wooded valley.
This release marks the latest chapter in a conservation success story that has come full circle.
Nearly four decades ago, red kites were extinct in England and Scotland, with only a few pairs remaining in Wales.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, red kite chicks from Spain and Sweden were released in the Chilterns, along the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border.
The reintroduction proved remarkably successful, and the species now thrives across the UK, with an estimated 6,000 mating pairs, representing approximately 15% of the world’s population.
Dr. Ian Evans, from Natural England, was among the early pioneers of the project.
“There were many unknowns,” he stated. “With the first group we released, we weren’t sure if they would simply die or move away.”
“In 1991, we observed our first breeding pairs, which was a revelation. We realized that this could indeed be a success.”
“That served as the springboard for establishing additional release sites in England and Scotland.”
Now, British-born red kite chicks are being taken to southwestern Spain as part of a four-year initiative to revive the local population from the brink of extinction.
Fewer than 50 mating pairs remain in the region, facing threats from predators like the eagle owl, as well as human factors such as illegal poisoning and electrocution.
In 2022, conservationists were granted special licenses from Natural England to collect red kite chicks, primarily from Northamptonshire, and transport them to the Extremadura region of Spain.
To date, over 120 chicks have been collected, with approximately 30 exported each year.
About the red kite
The chicks are flown to Madrid and then transported 240 miles (385km) south to a wildlife hospital in Villafranca de los Barros, operated by Accion por el Mundo Salvaje (AMUS).
Upon arrival, the small team, led by ornithologist and project manager Alfonso Godino, is diligently at work.
Each chick is weighed, measured, and tagged before being fitted with a GPS backpack, enabling experts to track their movements.
The birds appear lifeless as they are positioned for the procedure. Mr. Godino explains that they feign death when they feel threatened.
When asked if the tagging is painful, he assures that it causes only minor discomfort, akin to having one’s ears pierced.
Alfonso notes that the juveniles quickly adapt to the large tags, which are essential for ground-based observation.
The birds are then moved to holding aviaries near the Portuguese border for two weeks to acclimate to their new surroundings.
The release site is quiet and remote, with a pungent odor of decaying flesh emanating from a sheep carcass left to attract red kites for feeding.
As the gate is removed, the chicks do not immediately rush out. Aside from a few flutters inside the aviary, nothing happens.
It takes several hours, as if they are gathering courage, before they individually leave the safety of the aviary and fly into the wild.
“Now is the exciting moment when they are in the wild. They can learn to search for food, avoid predators, and interact with other species in the area. Thanks to the GPS, we will closely monitor these released birds,” Alfonso explains.
However, this is a nerve-wracking time for AMUS field technician Sofia Marrero.
“The mortality rate for raptors in general is very high during the first years of life,” she says. “So now it’s a little difficult, because you already know that some of them may not reach sexual maturity. It’s a bittersweet moment.”
In fact, only about a quarter of the red kites released during the project have survived.
The greatest threats are from predators and natural causes.
In 2023, eagle owls were responsible for killing half of the project’s newly released red kite chicks.
In response, the AMUS team has adapted the timing and methods of chick release to improve their chances of survival.
Extensive work has also been undertaken to modify thousands of kilometers of power cables to reduce the risk of electrocution.
However, the greatest human-related risk to birds of prey comes from illegal poisoning.
Between 2020 and 2024, 3,060 red kites were tagged and fitted with GPS as part of the Life EuroKite project, spanning 40 project areas across 12 countries.
By September 2024, 1,377 tagged red kites had died – 622 from natural causes, including predation, while 195 died from poisoning and 54 from illegal shooting.
Experts believe these figures represent only the “tip of the iceberg” regarding illegal persecution.
In the UK, the RSPB is collaborating with European partners to offer guidance on investigating poisoning cases.
A report by the charity last year revealed that at least 1,344 birds of prey were killed in the UK between 2009 and 2023.
“Raptor persecution is directly linked to game estates, both in the lowlands with pheasant and partridge, and in the uplands with grouse,” says Mark Thomas, head of investigations at RSPB.
“All the statistics demonstrate this. Two-thirds of all convictions are for gamekeepers – people lawfully employed to control vermin, which they are permitted to do. However, on some estates, some of these gamekeepers kill fully protected species,” he adds.
The charity advocates for licensing game estates to address the issue, a measure contested by the Countryside Alliance.
In a statement, the non-profit organization stated: “Any incident of raptor persecution is utterly condemnable, with penalties already including a prison sentence along with an unlimited fine.”
In Spain, the relocation project in Extremadura has yielded three mating pairs so far, which have produced two surviving chicks.
With more tagged red kites expected to reach sexual maturity next year, there is hope that these numbers will increase.
“There are still vast areas of southern Spain where the red kite was common three decades ago, but is now almost extinct,” Mr. Godino says.
“So, the next step is to determine how we can apply this experience to other regions of Spain.”
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