Conservationists are celebrating a landmark moment in English
wildlife conservation this month, as July sees the 30th
anniversary of the re-introduction of red kites to the Chiltern
Hills.
In July 1990 in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,
13 young red kites - recently flown over from the Navarra region
in Spain - took to the skies in their maiden flight in England,
as part of an ambitious reintroduction programme.
The red kite is one Britain’s most distinctive birds of prey with
an unmistakable reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply
forked tail, and known for instantly recognisable mewing call.
Red kites used to breed across much of the UK, but persecution
over a 200-year period saw numbers fall as they increasingly
became a target for egg collectors, reducing them to a few
breeding pairs in central Wales. By the 1980s, the red kite was
one of only three globally threatened species in the UK.
The re-introduction 30 years ago was hugely successful and helped
established a thriving population of the birds in the Chilterns
area, selected due to its suitability in meeting the criteria set
out by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
The move led to further introductions and the eventual
re-establishment of red kites across the UK. By 1996, at least 37
pairs had bred in southern England and today red kites can be
seen regularly in most English counties with an estimated 1,800
pairs breeding across the UK.
Natural England chair Tony Juniper said:
“Red kites are one of our most majestic birds of prey with a
beautiful plumage, and are easily recognisable thanks to their
soaring flight and mewing call. Persecuted to near-extinction,
they have made a triumphant comeback in England over the past
three decades.
“Thanks to this pioneering reintroduction programme in the
Chilterns, increased legal protection and collaboration amongst
partners, the red kite stands out as a true conservation success
story.The flagship red kite reintroduction project paved the way
for further species re-introductions, helping to reverse the
historic deterioration of our natural environment and our
precious species that inhabit it.”
The Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England) collaborated
with the RSPB, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC),
Zoological Society London and British Airways to release the
birds 30 years ago in an area on the Buckinghamshire and
Oxfordshire border.
Jeff Knott, RSPB operations director for Central and Eastern
England said:
“The red kite introduction project has been a fantastic example
of conservation in action and is the result of really effective
partnership working, which we’re proud to be part of.
“It’s been amazing to see a species once persecuted to near
extinction in this country, brought back and welcomed by local
communities, with local economies reaping the dividends of the
return of this iconic species.
“In the 1980s, anyone wanting to see a red kite had to make a
special pilgrimage to a handful of sites. Today it is a daily
sight for millions of people. In a few short decades we have
taken a species from the brink of extinction, to the UK being
home to almost 10% of the entire world population. It might be
the biggest species success story in UK conservation history!”
Danny Heptinstall, Senior International Biodiversity Adviser at
the JNCC, said:
“Thirty years ago the reintroduction of a lost species was a
radical act. Thanks to pioneering projects like the Chiltern Red
Kites, it is now a standard tool in the nature conservation
toolkit.
“In 1990, the UK had a only a few dozen red kites, 30 years later
there are over 10,000. JNCC is delighted to have played its part
in this ground-breaking conservation success story, and look
forward to the continuing success of the project and others like
it.”
Red kites first breed at two years old and produce a single
clutch of around three eggs, returning to the same nests each
season. They feed mainly on carrion and worms, but are
opportunistic and will occasionally take small mammals.
Red kites are now a common sight in the Chiltern Hills but can be
seen across South East England, Yorkshire and the East Midlands,
and in Wales and Scotland.
