A British bird of prey has enjoyed such a remarkable recovery that British-born chicks are being used in rewilding projects in Europe.
The BBC reported that the red kite was on the brink of extinction in the United Kingdom by the early 1990s, with only a handful remaining in Wales. However, a rewilding project in the Chilterns involving red kite chicks from Sweden and Spain allowed their numbers to soar by nearly 2,500%. There are now an estimated 6,000 breeding pairs across the U.K., a significant portion of the bird's target population.
Dr. Ian Evans of Natural England told the BBC: "In 1991, we had our first breeding pairs and that was really an eye-opener because we thought, 'Well, this can be successful.' That was the springboard for establishing other release sites in England and Scotland."
Red kites have an interesting history. They are primarily scavengers and operate as a flying cleanup crew, scooping up carrion that helps protect humans from disease. They were so common in early modern England that Shakespeare mentions them in "The Winter's Tale." However, they were less appreciated in the 1800s and were hunted to near extinction because of a perceived threat to domestic animals.
Now, British red kites, whose ancestors may well have been bred in Spain, are being released in western Spain to hopefully spark a similar revival. Though they are under legal protection, the birds are still at risk of illegal activities. A project that tagged kites across Europe found a disturbingly high proportion of the birds were being poisoned and shot. Conservation groups are working to raise awareness of the issues and promote action to clamp down on illicit activities that harm the kites.
The red kite's incredible revival is just one of several promising avian recoveries occurring worldwide, and they're all made possible by the work of dedicated local organizations and volunteers.
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