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What the sources say

Red KiteMilvus milvus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Red Kite profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 35 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Milvus milvus (red kite). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysis endemic to the western Palearctic, in Europe and northwest Africa
The source saysMilvus milvus is endemic to the western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa.
The page sayswingspan between 175 and 195 centimetres (5.7 to 6.4 feet)
The source saysTheir wingspan ranges from 175 to 195 cm and body length from 60 to 66 cm.Note: 5.7 to 6.4 feet converted from 175-195 cm
The page saysFemales are generally the larger sex, weighing 1 to 1.3 kilograms against a male's 0.8 to 1.2 kilograms
The source saysFemales are generally larger ranging from 1000 to 1300 g in weight, males are 800 to 1200 g.Note: kg converted from g; 'generally' kept on the size difference
The page saysthey take rabbits, voles and field mice, along with birds, worms, insects and other invertebrates
The source saysThey eat a wide variety of live prey, primarily small mammals such as rabbits, voles, and field mice, but also including birds, worms, and invertebrate prey.Note: ADW's Animal Foods list also names insects and terrestrial worms separately
The page saysespecially while raising young
The source saysthey are also predators, especially during the breeding season when they must feed their young
The page saysGoshawks are the only known natural predator of an adult red kite
The source saysGoshawks (Accipiter gentilis) are the only known natural predators of adult red kites.
The page saysWhen a predator appears, a female signals her fledglings to play dead, and they can fool a fox into leaving them, meaning to return for them later
The source saysAt signs of predators females signal to her fledglings who "play dead," even to the extent that a fox will believe them to be dead and leave, thinking it can return to eat them later.
The page saysRed kites nest in large, mature trees, generally 10 to 15 metres up
The source saysTheir only requirements are large, mature trees in which to build nests. Generally these nests are built 10 to 15 m above ground.
The page saysLarge, mature trees for nesting across the western Palearctic (Europe and northwest Africa)
The source saysMilvus milvus is endemic to the western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa.Note: nest-tree requirement is the body's ADW nest claim

Source
02

BTO BirdFacts, British Trust for Ornithology

Red Kite. BTO BirdFacts, British Trust for Ornithology.

The page saysThe oldest ringed red kite in BTO records reached 25 years and 8 months
The source saysMaximum age from a ringed bird 25 years, 8 months, 28 days (set in 2018)Note: days dropped from the quote's 25y 8m 28d for brevity
The page saysPersecution drove red kites to the point of extinction in Britain
The source saysThe Red Kite was persecuted to the point of extinction in Britain, just about hanging on in Wales
The page saysby the 1930s and 1940s fewer than ten breeding pairs remained, concentrated in a small part of mid-Wales
The source saysRed Kite was historically widespread across Britain but, following widespread persecution, fewer than ten breeding pairs remained by the 1930s and 1940s, concentrated into a small area of mid Wales.
The page saysthe UK's breeding population grew by more than 2,600 percent between 1995 and 2024
The source saysPopulation Change 2613% increase 1995 to 2024Note: 2,613% floored to 'more than 2,600 percent'; same figure in the body and FAQ 2
The page saysFrom fewer than ten pairs in mid-Wales in the 1930s and 1940s
The source saysfewer than ten breeding pairs remained by the 1930s and 1940s, concentrated into a small area of mid Wales
The page saysthe UK breeding population was estimated at 4,400 pairs in 2016
The source saysUK (breeding) 4400 pairs (2016)Note: the Key Stats '4,400 pairs' is this 2016 estimate, not a 2024 figure, so the page dates it
The page saysit grew by more than 2,600 percent between 1995 and 2024
The source saysPopulation Change 2613% increase 1995 to 2024Note: 2,613% floored to 'more than 2,600 percent'
The page saysweightKg: 1.1
The source saysStatus Common Weight 1.1kg Eggs 2Note: battleStats (settle #880)

Source
03

RSPB

Red Kite. RSPB.

The page saysIts long, deeply forked tail is distinctive
The source saysDistinctive long, deeply forked tail
The page sayswhen soaring the bird constantly adjusts the tail's angle to steer while barely moving its wings
The source saysWhen soaring they constantly adjust the angle of their tail to steer, while barely moving their wings.
The page saysCompared with many other birds of prey, red kites have relatively weak talons, so they mainly eat carrion and are often seen soaring over roads looking for roadkill
The source saysCompared to many other birds of prey, Red Kites have relatively weak talons, so they mainly feed on carrion and can often be seen soaring over roads looking for roadkill.
The page saysIn Shakespeare's day, red kites were common even in cities, catching rodents and scavenging scraps of meat from the streets
The source saysBack in Shakespeare's day, Red Kites were really common, even in cities, where they acted as clean-up crews, catching rodents and scavenging on the scraps of meat that littered the streets.
The page saysBy the end of the 19th century they were extinct in England, Scotland and Ireland
The source saysBy the end of the 19th century, they were extinct in Scotland, England and Ireland, and just a few pairs were clinging on in Wales.
The page saysthe UK is now home to about 13 percent of the world's red kites
The source saysThe UK is now home to about 13% of the world's population.Note: current RSPB page (cites 1995-2023 trend); supersedes Natural England's 2020 figure of about 7%
The page saysline their nests with wool, grass and twigs, but they also collect other objects that catch their eye. Nests have been found holding gloves, novelty sunglasses and cuddly toys
The source saysRed Kites nest in woodlands and like to line their nests with wool, grass and twigs, but they'll also collect other objects that catch their eye. Their nests have been found to contain all sorts of unusual items, from gloves and novelty sunglasses to cuddly toys.
The page saysOne Scottish red kite lined its nest with underwear that skinny-dippers had left behind on a bank
The source saysIn Scotland, one opportunistic Red Kite even lined its nest with underwear that had been left on a bank by skinny-dippers!
The page saysWith its tail. While soaring, it keeps changing the tail's angle to steer, and the wings barely move.
The source saysWhen soaring they constantly adjust the angle of their tail to steer, while barely moving their wings.
The page saysin the UK now across much of Wales and central and eastern England
The source saysThey're now found across much of Wales, and central and eastern England, as well as parts of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The page saysMostly carrion and roadkill, plus rabbits, voles, field mice, worms, and other invertebrates caught with relatively weak talons
The source saysCompared to many other birds of prey, Red Kites have relatively weak talons, so they mainly feed on carrion and can often be seen soaring over roads looking for roadkill.Note: the specific live-prey list (rabbits, voles, field mice, worms, invertebrates) is covered by the body's adw-red-kite claim
The page saysA deeply forked tail it keeps angling to steer while soaring, barely moving its wings.
The source saysWhen soaring they constantly adjust the angle of their tail to steer, while barely moving their wings.
The page saysA deeply forked tail it steers with, relatively weak talons that keep it mostly on carrion, and an astonishing comeback in the UK.
The source saysRed Kites have made an astonishing comeback in the UK
The page saysWhen soaring it constantly adjusts the angle of its forked tail to steer, while barely moving its wings
The source saysWhen soaring they constantly adjust the angle of their tail to steer, while barely moving their wings.Note: vibe.reason (settle #880)

Source
04

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database

Milvus milvus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database.

The page saysone in captivity reached 38
The source saysMaximum longevity 38 years (captivity)Note: current source, supersedes ADW's older captive record of 26 years

Source
05

Natural England

A conservation success story: the reintroduction of red kites 30 years ago. Natural England.

The page saysIn July 1990, two Welsh birds and eleven Spanish birds from Navarra were released in the Chiltern Hills
The source saysOn 10th and 19th July 1990, two Welsh birds and 11 Spanish birds from the region of Navarra were released in the Chilterns Hills on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border.
The page saysWith a sister project on Scotland's Black Isle and conservation work in Wales, those releases helped the population recover
The source saysthese first releases in southern England, its sister release project on the Black Isle of Scotland and the ongoing conservation work in Wales have helped facilitate a fantastic population recovery

Source
06

Westrip 2022

Westrip (2022). Milvus milvus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T22695072A210523277.

The page saysWorldwide, the IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List, checked against taxon id 22695072 in the assessment DOI

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.