Red Kite hunting behaviour (1 Viewer)

[CorvidMania]

Hi,

I wanted to know whether Red Kites actively hunt other Birds..for the past month there have been two birds which are from a nearby estate taking swoops at a local Herring Gull flock. It seems as if they are intent on getting one. They come by every single day. One seems to float in the air to alert the gulls whilst the other takes a split second swoop.

Everything I seem to read about Kites suggests that they are not really predators but more scavengers. But I don’t see how that can be the case because their presence literally sends my local birds into panic mode. I have a very large female sparrowhawk who gets ushered out by a very aggressive male Carrion Crow I have here but otherwise no one seems to care about her.

Has anyone seen kites taking live prey such as Gulls?

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
surely others jump in but my first idea was that the Red Kites might prey on gull chicks in a breeding colony.
I found this: Experimental diversionary feeding of red kites Milvus milvus reduces chick predation and enhances breeding productivity of northern lapwings Vanellus vanellus

 

[aeshna5]

I have plenty of Red Kites & Herring Gulls around here. I can't imagine a kite taking on a large powerful bird like that-they don't really have the "equipment" for it. Sometimes the gulls briefly mob the kites but mostly get one. I've watched them sharing thermals.

Sometimes I think this behaviour is like a type of "play"

No doubt Red Kites can & will take the opportunity to take young of ground-nesting birds, yet I doubt they would take on a large gull as the parents would be very aggressive in defending it?

 

[Neil22]

Hi,

I wanted to know whether Red Kites actively hunt other Birds..for the past month there have been two birds which are from a nearby estate taking swoops at a local Herring Gull flock. It seems as if they are intent on getting one. They come by every single day. One seems to float in the air to alert the gulls whilst the other takes a split second swoop.

Everything I seem to read about Kites suggests that they are not really predators but more scavengers. But I don’t see how that can be the case because their presence literally sends my local birds into panic mode. I have a very large female sparrowhawk who gets ushered out by a very aggressive male Carrion Crow I have here but otherwise no one seems to care about her.

Has anyone seen kites taking live prey such as Gulls?

Hi
Please see my latest post on 'Bird behavior'

 

[lockbreeze926]

On a related note, I absolutely believed Black Kites were scavengers (moreso even than Red), and their general behaviour (abundance on dumps, etc) supported that...until, in central France, a Black Kite swooped past our car (slowing for a roundabout) into a roadside ditch and emerged grasping a large rat.

 

[Frank van Drogen]

I have noticed a correlation (but no direct causation) between a sharp increase in Red Kite numbers and a strong decrease in the number of ferral pigeons in our Zürich neighbourhood.

 

[Neil22]

Hi,

I wanted to know whether Red Kites actively hunt other Birds..for the past month there have been two birds which are from a nearby estate taking swoops at a local Herring Gull flock. It seems as if they are intent on getting one. They come by every single day. One seems to float in the air to alert the gulls whilst the other takes a split second swoop.

Everything I seem to read about Kites suggests that they are not really predators but more scavengers. But I don’t see how that can be the case because their presence literally sends my local birds into panic mode. I have a very large female sparrowhawk who gets ushered out by a very aggressive male Carrion Crow I have here but otherwise no one seems to care about her.

Has anyone seen kites taking live prey such as Gulls?

Hi
Had a red kite on the marsh near me feeding on a herring gull recently. Not sure if it had killed it, but it may well have.