Action for the Wild World (AMUS) has released the first set of 90 red kites that will boost the population of the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula in 2022-2024, as part of the Life Eurokite project coordinated by Villafranca de Mud.
The red kite (Milvus milvus) is one of the few birds of prey almost endemic to Europe, and despite the fact that Spain is one of the countries with the highest number of breeding, it is classified as critically endangered nationally, due to for the negative. A development that has been very evident over the past 30 years.
In order to contribute to the improvement of the breeding of red kite birds in the province of Badajoz and part of Huelva, thirty chicks arrived in June from the forests of Northamptonshire (UK). Specimens arrived in that country in the 1980s from Spain to prevent the species from becoming extinct there, and thanks to the success of this resettlement programme, the British population of red kites is currently stable enough, with more than 6000 pairs, to be able to part with these chickens.
For several weeks, the red kites remained in a free-breeding facility built specifically for this project; All individuals were marked with GPS-GSM transmitters that, once released, would allow information about their condition and location to be obtained. AMUS is currently monitoring the birds’ adaptation to their new environment.
This milestone will be repeated in the next two summers, as previous studies have shown the need to release a hundred individuals to establish a stable society.
“Subtly charming bacon junkie. Infuriatingly humble beer trailblazer. Introvert. Evil reader. Hipster-friendly creator.”