CorvidMania
Member

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?
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?