Kids4Kites - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Title: Kids4Kites


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Help make a positive future for red kites!
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Red kites have returned to northeast England
after an absence of 170 years!
They need YOUR HELP to make sure they dont
disappear again!
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What is a red kite?

• Red kites are big birds of prey.

Kestrel
Red Kites
Barn Owl
Owls, eagles, buzzards, hawks and falcons are
other birds of prey.
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What is a bird of prey?
Birds of prey have
All these adaptations help them to find, catch
and eat food (mainly carrion - dead animals).
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How to identify a kite
Red kites have a wingspan of nearly 2 metres (6
feet)!
They have a fork-shaped tail to help them twist
and turn while flying.
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Where do kites live?
A kites habitat is farmland with patches of
woodland. They soar above the countryside and
over towns and villages searching the ground for
food.
They can live for up to 25 years but their
average lifespan in the wild is 8-10 years.
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What do kites feed on?
Kites like to eat mainly dead animals (carrion).
They also eat large amounts of beetles and
earthworms and some small mammals (such as voles).
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Why do kites need help to return to the UK?
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What is reintroduction?
Reintroduction means to return a bird or animal
to an area where it used to live with approved
Government licensing.
The red kites that were first reintroduced in
Britain came from Spain and Sweden.
The areas chosen for release in Britain used to
have kites and have similar landscape and habitat
to parts of Europe where the kites are more
common.
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Where were they reintroduced?
Since 1989, kites have been reintroduced across
the UK.
Surviving kite population in Wales.
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Who reintroduced kites in north east England?
A project called Northern Kites returned the
kites to north east England.
People from these organisations worked together
to help return the kites, with additional money
from these organisations
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How did Northern Kites reintroduce the birds?
Kite chicks were taken from nests in the
Chilterns where kites were successfully
reintroduced in 1989. Chicks were 4 to 5 weeks
old.
They were brought to Gateshead and kept in large
aviaries. There was room to practice flying to
build up their strength ready for release to the
wild at 8 to 9 weeks old.
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How did Northern Kites reintroduce the birds?
Before the kites were released they were checked
by vets to ensure they were fit and healthy.
To identify individual kites, each one was given
a set of colour coded wing tags with numbers and
a radio transmitter with a unique frequency.
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How many kites were released?
41 released in 2005
Between 2004 and 2006, 94 red kites were released.
20 released in 2004
33 released in 2006
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Where were the kites released?
Ordnance Survey Licence Agreement No. 100019570
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Who looks after the kites?
Primary and secondary schools across the region
have helped red kites by adopting all the kites
released in Gateshead.
Each kite was named by pupils in their adopting
school. Pupils have learned about their red kite
where it goes and what it does!
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Who looks after the kites?
Volunteers and members of the public look out for
kites and some listen to their radio transmitter
signal.
Signals indicate if the kite is flying or sitting.
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How are the kites doing?
The kites are now in the wild and are spreading
around the region . They are settling into their
usual behaviour. Kites like to
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How are the kites doing?
In 2006, red kites began to breed again in north
east England after more than 170 years!
Kites build large nests in trees and decorate
them with soft things, like plastic bags and bits
of material like socks and knickers!
Kites can have between 1 and 4 chicks.
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How are the kites doing?
Sadly, some kites released have died, mostly due
to natural causes.
However, one kite released in Gateshead is known
to have been poisoned!
In 2004, red kite no. 10, named Flash by his
Adopt-a-Kite School, was found dead next to a
rabbit carcass laced with carbofuran, a substance
historically used to poison birds of prey.
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Why are red kites persecuted?
Persecution is a major problem resulting in the
death of many birds of prey, despite all of them
being protected by law.
Between 1989 and 2006, 128 red kites were
illegally killed in the UK. Many other birds of
prey were also persecuted during this time.
Persecution continues today!
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What is the future for red kites?
If the kites have a safe place to live they will
continue to breed!
We need to make sure their habitat is not
destroyed!
If the kites have good food to eat their
population will grow!
We need to make sure kites are not persecuted!
The future for red kites is in YOUR hands!
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What can you do to help red kites?
You can tell your family and friends the true
facts about red kites.
You can go and see and enjoy red kites in the
wild.
You can make your environment a better place it
will benefit you, red kites and lots of other
wildlife.
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What can you do to help red kites?
You can make a pledge with to help
make a better future for red kites!
You can help make sure red kites dont disappear
from our skies again!
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Acknowledgements
These people help the kites by watching and
photographing them. Images and photographs used
are provided courtesy of Jules Burnett (cartoon
kite illustrations) Doug Simpson Helen
Olive Gerry Whitlow Ian Forrest John
Bridges Giedre Tomkeviciute Carl Watts Ray
Wilby
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