130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

4.11. Red kite
Milvus milvus
Summary
Background
Table 1.
Global IUCN Red List
status [8] , European
population and SPEC
status [5] and EU
population status [9]
of Red kite.
Red kites suffered severe declines in the 19th and
early 20th centuries, resulting in a restricted and
highly fragmented distribution. After an increase
in some countries between 1970 and 1990, the
species suffered considerable declines in its strongholds
in Germany, France and Spain, caused by
mortality due to poisoning, and habitat loss.
These declines were partly offset by ongoing
positive trends in other countries, including
Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. Legal protection
and targeted conservation efforts, including
ongoing reintroduction projects, have been instrumental
in enabling the observed recovery of this
species. However, poisoning remains a critical
threat, particularly in Spain and France, which
hold important populations of both breeding and
wintering birds.
Scale Status Justification
Global
Near Threatened
(since 2005;
considered
Least Concern in
1994–2004 and
Threatened in
1988)
Moderately rapid population decline, owing mostly
to poisoning from pesticides and persecution, and
changes in land-use amongst other threats.
Europe Declining (SPEC 2) Moderate recent decline (>10%).
EU25
Declining
a
General description of the species
The Red kite (Milvus milvus) is a truly European
bird of prey, with nearly the entire range of
species found in Europe. Unlike its congener, the
Black kite (Milvus migrans), which is probably the
most abundant raptor in the world [1] , the Red kite
has a small global population. It is a mediumlarge
raptor, with chestnut-red plumage, characteristic
white patches under the wings and a long
forked tail [1] . They are very agile and elegant in
flight and spend long periods soaring over the
landscape [2] .
Red kites first breed at 2–4 years of age and
lay 1–3 eggs in March–April. They are migratory
in most of northern, central and eastern Europe,
spending the winter mainly in Spain [3] , but in some
areas only young adults migrate, while in Britain
the population is resident. Increasingly, many Red
kites in northern and central Europe remain in
their breeding areas in winter [4] .
Distribution in Europe
The Red kite is endemic to the Western Palearctic
and more than 95% of its global range is within
Europe [4, 5] . The species is distributed from
southern Portugal and Spain to Denmark, Sweden
and Poland, with isolated populations in Italy and
the United Kingdom. There may also be a small
population in Morocco [1] .
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