RED kites are a common sight across Oxfordshire with the population rising as people leave out food for the magnificent birds. But experts warn feeding them could lead to persecution.

Recently Oxford Mail readers have voiced their concern that the red kite population is declining, raising fears of a secret cull.

However, experts from the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – where the birds were first reintroduced – have confirmed that red kites are thriving.

The British Trust for Ornithology runs a national breeding bird survey helping to chart the population trends of breeding bird species, and it shows a very positive increase of red kites.

Nick Marriner, a bird enthusiast at the Chilterns AONB, said: “The red kite story over the past 30 years has been nothing but a fantastic success. Their populations have grown from a very small base and continue to grow on an annual basis.”

He added: “Of course people’s observations are likely to be much more localised and birds do move about the countryside to find food, to over-winter and to breed.

“These localised movements could well account for what your readers are seeing but, rest assured, the national trend is a positive one.”

The Chilterns is one of the best places in the UK to see red kites, this is thanks to the successful reintroduction of the birds of prey between 1989 and 1994.

By the end of the 19th century, red kites had been driven to extinction by persecution and only a small population of the birds survived in Wales.

Birds from Spain were imported and released into the Chilterns by the RSPB and English Nature (now Natural England) between 1989 and 1994.

The birds of prey started breeding in the Chilterns in 1992 and now it is thought there could be as many as 1,000 breeding pairs in the area.

In fact, the programme was so successful it is not possible to monitor all the nests.

Red kite numbers are monitored and every year. In June a select number of young red kites are fitted with coloured plastic wing tags, marked with an individual letter, number or symbol.

Neil Jackson, conservation and landscape officer at the Chilterns AONB, said: “Red kites are still protected species and there has definitely not been a cull of the birds.

“In fact, especially during full Covid lockdown earlier in the year, we had an unusually high number of enquiries concerning feeding of red kites.”

Many kites can be seen hunting by flying low over open countryside. They eat mainly dead animals, but will also feed on chicks, small mammals, and invertebrates such as beetles and earthworms.

Oxford Mail:

Live prey is usually caught by surprise rather than speed, although kites sometimes make fast, twisting chases. However, people are being discouraged from leaving meat out so they can watch these spectacular displays as they swoop down to get their prey.

Mr Jackson said: “ Possibly as a result of being kept indoors, we suspect more people were feeding the birds, as this does attract impressive displays of birds diving on food.

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"Unfortunately, this can cause concentrations of birds that can be seen by others as a public nuisance and may encourage persecution – the reason the birds disappeared from lowland England in the first place.”

Chiltern conservationists also believe this can encourage birds to become dependent on scraps which will not give them all the nutrients they need.

Scraps of cooked or uncooked meat left lying around or dropped by birds could cause an environmental health risk.

High numbers of Red kites in any one location could also discourage songbirds and other wildlife.

The advice, then, is to stay back, admire – and leave these beautiful birds alone.