Countryside Alliance Ireland - love the countryside

Bringing the red kite back to Northern Ireland

The RSPB is proposing to reintroduce the magnificent red kite to Northern Ireland.

The red kite was once a common and widespread bird in Britain and Ireland. In the 19^th century, they were persecuted and exterminated from the majority of their range. Throughout the 20^th century, a small population of red kites persisted in Wales. However, in 1989, the RSPB and others commenced an extremely successful conservation programme to reintroduce the red kite to its former breeding range. Release projects have resulted in the establishment of seven new population centres of this bird from the north of Scotland to southeast England. The red kite population currently stands at some 1,000 breeding pairs. Over the last 15 years, the reintroduction programme has provided considerable conservation benefits. However, although the red kite population is increasing, some of the existing populations are small and isolated and are therefore vulnerable to the sort of events that would not threaten more widely distributed species.

Securing the future of a globally threatened species

The red kite is of European heritage importance as its breeding range is almost entirely confined to Europe. With many of the European national populations declining rapidly, the British population is becoming increasingly important. The red kite should also be recognised as an important component of our natural heritage in Northern Ireland. By undertaking a reintroduction project, we would be bringing back a traditional species to Northern Ireland and in doing so, enabling it to complete the re-colonisation of its global range.

The species will be released back to County Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland in 2007, with the support of the Irish Government, and we are working with our partners there in an attempt to see red kites re-established across the island.

Planning for success

Our proposal to release 70 red kites over a three-year period will meet the need to further enhance the UK population and take a further conservation step towards protecting its future. Our proposed release area in southern County Down. It is an important link in a long-term vision to establish sustainable and healthy population centres of red kite, which will, with effective protection and monitoring, re-colonise all suitable habitats across lowland Britain and Ireland over time and secure the future for the red kite.

With the successful release and eventual establishment of red kites in Northern Ireland, we also aim to create opportunities whereby people can see red kites, learn about them and get involved in the project. Through this project, we aim to bring people and wildlife closer together and to link the red kites with wider messages about Northern Ireland’s biodiversity.

Frequently asked questions

What evidence is there that red kites were once present in Ireland?

There is archaeological evidence, from excavations, of red kite bones in Dublin, Co. Limerick and Co. Tipperary. References in the literature also indicate the former presence of red kites. There are references to red kites in 1603 (Ulster), 1621 (Cork city) and 1714 (Co. Antrim side of Lough Neagh). Two naturalists from the mid 18^th century, Smith (1746) and Rutty (1772), refer to red kites in counties Cork, Waterford and Dublin. There is also evidence of red kite in the very north of Ireland from Londonderry in 1802, 1831 and 1837 and possibly still breeding in the Belfast area in 1891.

Irish statutes in the 17^th and 18^th centuries offered bounties for the killing of various vermin, including kites. New research by the RSPB has shown that there were 348 bounties issued for kites in Co. Antrim alone in the mid 1700s indicating that this species may have been common in Northern Ireland at that time. Many of these bounties were collected during the summer months indicating the possibility of breeding at that time. A published reference to the medicinal value of the kite in 1739 lends further support to its relative abundance at that time.

Evidence of the presence of kites in Ireland in the past is implicit in some of the names used in Irish. These include Cúr and Préachán Ceirteach. In the early 20th century, Irish speakers used the name Préachán ceirteach to refer to the red kite specifically. Ceirt means cloth, clothes or rags. Ceirteach is the genitive case of ceirt clearly denoting that this bird took and used rags and cloths. Red kites adorn their nests with these materials throughout their range.

Why did the red kite disappear and will it now be able to survive in Northern Ireland?

Records suggest the red kite probably disappeared from the island of Ireland during the 19^th Century. Wrongly treated as vermin by game/shooting interests and poultry keepers, red kites were easily targeted through trapping, shooting and poisoning of carrion. Deforestation probably also played a key part in declines.

Changes in society’s attitude to birds of prey is likely to have been the main reason why persecution and poisoning incidents have become less common, and why buzzards have been able to spread so dramatically through Ireland in the last two decades. Given the small number of poisoning incidents recorded compared to other parts of the UK, it is unlikely that persecution or unintentional poisoning are major potential threats to a reintroduced population of red kites. The species is also fully protected under the Wildlife Order (1985; as amended) in Northern Ireland.

The RSPB believes the habitat in the proposed release area is suitable for red kites, and this is borne out to a certain extent by the extended stays of some young birds that have visited this area in recent years. Safe roosting, resting and breeding habitat under 600 m altitude is available, provided by small blocks of open woodland and small groups of trees. Extensive open areas of farmland, rough grassland, heath and moorland would be used for foraging.

Why can’t we wait until red kites re-establish themselves naturally?

Given the pattern of range expansion following release in England and Scotland, and the current distribution in Europe following past persecution, it is very unlikely that the red kite will re-colonise the island of Ireland naturally in the next few decades without assistance. Evidence from tagging studies in Scotland has demonstrated that following dispersal when young, red kites generally return to their natal area, even though birds are being released as close as Dumfries and Galloway. The Welsh population, which has increased from a low of around 10 pairs in the 1930s to 500-600 pairs today, continued to expand on a rolling front with no signs of natural re-colonisation of new areas away from the core population. It has taken the birds around 100 years to make it across the border into the very west of England. On this basis, the RSPB believes it is necessary to release birds to ensure re-colonisation in Northern Ireland.

Is the red kite a threat to livestock, game birds or other wildlife?

The red kite is a scavenger, taking a wide range of animal food items including invertebrates, mammals and birds. This broad diet allows the species to occupy a wide range of habitats. Live prey, such as small mammals and medium sized birds (e.g. crows and pigeons) can be important in late spring, and rabbits continue to be taken through until the autumn. Many studies have demonstrated that rabbit is the most important mammalian prey item. Active hunting of mammals is very unusual. Earthworms and beetles are exploited, particularly outside the breeding season. Waste from refuse tips is taken in late autumn and winter, and sheep carrion in upland areas taken during its peak availability between February and April.

The red kite is not designed to feed on mobile prey and is absolutely no threat to livestock or game birds. It is also no threat to songbirds like the yellowhammer or song thrush; it does not depredate these species in other part of Europe where they are abundant.

What do local people think about this proposal?

From the outset, the RSPB has been working closely with key stakeholders and partners who have an interest in the conservation benefits of a red kite reintroduction. We are currently seeking permission from the Environment and Heritage Service to release birds and we hope to have this secured by the summer.

Landowner and local community support is crucial, given historic attitudes to such birds in Northern Ireland. We realise the importance of reassuring local people that red kites will be an asset to their area and in no way a threat to farming or shooting interests. To achieve this, consultation with key landowners is currently on-going and plans for local stakeholder engagement, once the legality of the project has been agreed, are being prepared. Local communities need to be ‘on board’ first, before taking publicity any wider. Involvement of local schools and local media is also being developed.

For further information, please contact Shirelle Stewart This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Dr. James Robinson This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , RSPB Northern Ireland, Blevoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QT, 028 9049 1547.