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Monitoring Raptors and Owls of Europe

Red Kite Milvus milvus

Description


Red Kite
© Dietmar Nill / linnea images

Names:
German: Rotmilan
Spanish: Milano Real
French: Milan royal
Italien: Nibbio reale
Dutch: Rode Wouw
Polish: Kania ruda
Swedish: Röd glada

Distribution: From the most northern Part of Marocco over the Iberian Peninsula, France, central Europe to the South of Sweden and the most western areas of the Ukraine and Belarus. Further populations in Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Great Britain.
Length: 60-73 cm

Weight: Female: ca. 1160 g, Male: ca. 960 g

Maximum Age: up to almost 30 in the wild

Breeding population in Europe between 20.000 and 22.000 pairs

European countries with breeding populations > 20
Source: Mebs/Schmidt


Breeding Biology

Sexual maturity: mornaly with 2-3 years, in some cases already with one year

Number of Eggs: 2-3, rarely 4

Start of Breeding: End of Marth, mostly in April

Breeding duration: 32-33 days

Time in nest: 48-54 days

Source: Mebs & Schmidt 2006

Monitoring Data

All Data was and is made available by the monitoring contributors in countless and volunteer field work.
 

Number of data records** about reproduction:
1.241
Number of data records** about population density:
1.293
Number of controlled breeding breeding pairs with known breeding success (Germany):
8.619 
Number of countries with data available on the Red Kite:
8 
**All data records are published in the annual reports of the Monitoring Raptors and Owl of Europe and are saved in our database.
One data record corresponds to the result of one survey year of the species in one monitoring area.
Example: For 100 records one area has to be surved 100 years of 100 areas have to be surved 1 year.
 
average brood size in Germany 2,14 fledged young for every successful brood.
(n = 6.759 Brutpaare; Zeitspanne: 1972 - 2000)
average breeding success for Germany 1,68 fledged young for every brood.
(n = 8.619 Brutpaare; Zeitspanne: 1972 - 2000)

Population trend in Germany from 1986 to 2002. (1994 = Index 100 calculation with TRIM) annual trend: -1,8 % ± 0,7 %, p ? 0,01, n = 11.841 breeding pears (Mammen & Stubbe 2003).
(source: MAMMEN & STUBBE 2000)

Red Kite population trend
The Red Kite population decreased about 25% between 1990 and 1997. Since then the population is stable on a low level. The reason are propably due to the decreased reproduction after the German reunification. (MAMMEN & STUBBE 1997, MAMMEN 2000).

Interesting Information

The distribution center of the Red Kite is in Central Europe, France and Spain. The biggest population lives in Germany (currently about 11.800 pairs). Germany therefore has a high responsibility for the conservation of the Red Kite. Threats are intensification of agriculture as well as losses through wind turbines, electrocution and especially in the Spanish winter quarters still losses through illegal poisoning and shooting.

Quellen: Mebs & Schmidt 2006


Monitoring Raptors and Owls