Should we feed Red Kites?

Although feeding Red Kites is not illegal, the RSPB encourages people not to put meat out in gardens for them as there is no need.

Red kites are primarily scavengers who travel far and wide in search of food. They can and will take live prey, notably small mammals such as mice and voles, particularly at certain times of the year. They rarely have any problem finding dead animals and other things to eat, there is plenty of food for them, so there is no need for people to feed them.

Regular feeding of kites could ultimately lead to an unsustainably high population of red kites, reliant on human hand-outs. It also makes them more susceptible to poisoning by persons persecuting them.

Even 20 years ago, very few people would have the opportunity to see them.

The fact that so many of us now can is a brilliant conservation success we can all celebrate.