Published: 14:19 Friday 16 March
2018
Have you spotted a majestic
red kite in the skies above Tyrone?
RSPB NI is reminding members of the public
to report sightings of this amazing bird of prey as we enter the 2018 breeding
season, 10 years after they were reintroduced to Northern Ireland.
Last year,
phone calls and emails to them resulted in two new territories being discovered
and the RSPB NI are keen to remind people about the importance of reporting
their chance encounters with kites.
Red kites are magnificent birds of prey
which were sadly persecuted to extinction more than 200 years ago because
people mistakenly saw them as a threat to game and livestock. They are
medium-sized raptors that primarily feed on dead animals, but can hunt small
mammals, crows and rooks. They are reddish brown with black wingtips and a
silver grey head, usually seen slowly flapping their long wings or using their
distinctive V-shaped forked tail like a rudder. Most in NI have been fitted
with a tag on each wing to help with identification.
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