![]() ![]() Winter visitors mix with local birds and are distributed based on resources. Some pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. Birds from the northeast of the range from northeast France are migratory and mainly travel in the autumn towards Spain and southern France. The subspecies fasciicauda of the Cape Verde Archipelago is considered extinct. The range slightly extends into the north of Morocco. The western Mediterranean islands are inhabited. To the east of this range, there are more or less isolated populations in the majority of European countries and up to the west of Russia. The British Isles have recently become a stronghold of the species as a result of a well-conducted conservation program. In Scandinavia, the bird is strongly increasing in the south of Sweden and has settled down. After a sharp decline in the 20th century, the species is in poor condition in the south of its range, for example in Spain, while it is in full expansion in the north where it is better protected. But the center of the range is clearly western, with Spain, France and Germany hosting the majority of the population. The range is continuous from Spain to Belarus, passing through France, Germany, Lithuania and Poland. The distribution of the Red Kite is essentially European. At the end of their stay in the nest, the young are able to feed themselves on the prey brought to them by the adults.Adults can go hunting for miles away from the Red Kite's territory. The young are ready to fly at around the age of two months. The male feeds the family at the beginning but will have a major nourishing role until the end. The chicks keep their chamois-colored newborn down for 14 days and then exchange it for a reddish down. Incubation lasts 31 to 32 days for each egg, which is around 38 days in total for a cluster of 3 eggs. Occasionally, the male will replace her for a short period of time. Incubation starts as soon as the first egg is laid, and is done mostly by the female. The eggs are bright white with spots of purple or red. The female lays 2 or 3 eggs (1 to 4) every three days. The inside is lined with dry grass or sheep wool. The birds included paper or plastic in the nest, but not as systematically as their close relative. It is a platform made of dry branches, which are on average larger than those of buzzard or Red Kite nests. The tree that supports it is usually a deciduous tree in the plains, most often an oak tree, and a conifer or a beech tree above 800 meters. ![]() They are sloping at the ends, which, combined with the long tail and slow flight, give it a characteristic silhouette. The wings of the royal, longer, are also much more contrasted than those of the black, above and below. In the black, the brown tail is shorter, triangular when spread. The difference in length of the rectrices is obvious, giving a forked tail when resting, slightly concave when spread. The underside of the body is creamy-reddish, heavily streaked with brown and the underside of the tail is whitish and sharply barred with brown. The head is less grey, with a dark top and a russet tail top marked with dark. The juvenile is much less russet above and below.The wings of Red Kite are paler, almost whitish. The tail is whitish-grey below, the outer rectrices darkened and sometimes lightly barred. ![]() But be careful, an adult Black Kite in full light can appear distinctly russet, but darker. The lower parts are a fairly light cinnamon-brown and clearly streaked with brown. The tail is clearly reddish-brown above, slightly darker on the edges, while it is never reddish on the Black Kite. These last ones are brown but largely bordered with reddish-brown, forming an elongated pale zone on the wing, more marked than on the Black Kite. The upper portions appear to be brown, with a medium brown mantle and lighter covers. The iris is a very pale yellow, sometimes almost white. The adult Red Kite has a head that is very pale grey and finely streaked with dark, but be careful, in full sun the grey head of the Black Kite can appear quite light. The silhouette of the Red Kite is finer and longer, due to a longer tail that clearly protrudes beyond the wing tip, while the Black Kite's rectrices do not protrude. These figures suggest a real difference between male and female, as well as individual differences depending on physiological condition. Its length is between 60 and 70 cm, its wingspan 145-170 cm, and its weight 800-1600 g. The Red Kite is quite a large raptor, larger than the Common Buzzard for example. When perched, the specific distinction may not be obvious, but in flight, the differences are more visible. The Red Kite is the largest, longest, and palest in plumage. The Eurasian continent houses two species of kites, the Red Kite and the Black Kite, close enough that their description relies on a comparison of the two species. ![]()
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