Red kites set to take over from seagulls as prime chip-pinching pests
The population of red kites has shot up nearly 2,500% since they were saved from extinction – but they now love human grub including sandwiches, crisps, cash and chips
Red kites love chips more than you know(Image: Getty Images)
Red kites could take over from seagulls as Britain’s top chip nickers – after developing a taste for human grub since being saved from extinction.
The population of the birds of prey had almost died out 40 years ago when five young Swedish kites were brought in to revive it. There are now 6,000 breeding pairs across the UK – the largest population in Europe.
But the revitalised birds – which boast a 6ft wingspan and can fly at 113mph – love sandwiches, crisps, cash and chips. They are terrorising customers at Katy Brill’s cafe at Peterley Manor Farm, Bucks, where they swoop down to pinch food.
Katy, 38, said: “They’re a pest. They’ll swoop and literally take food off people’s tables or out of their hands. It’s become a problem for us. I live on the same lane as the farm and I just won’t eat outside any more.”
The birds of prey pose a far bigger injury risk than seagulls that plague most Brit seaside resorts as they are bigger, faster and stronger.
Last month one was captured carrying what appeared to be a sausage roll as it soared above Banbury. On Facebook groups in the Chilterns – home to the largest concentration of red kites – locals say the birds have snatched food out of their hands.
Some claim the birds have swooped to attack small dogs. Katy has fitted wire above the outdoor seating area at her café to stop the birds pouncing and put up a warning sign.
“It’s a terrifying experience,” she said. “They’re obviously a bird of prey and they’re really big.”
The kite – which boasts a reddish-brown coat, deeply forked tail and distinctive mewing call – was once protected by Royal decree. But from the 16th Century it was deemed a threat to livestock and widely hunted. They almost died out in England, Scotland, and Ireland, with only 52 nests known in Wales.
Since the Swedish kites arrived in 1989 as part of a species recovery programme led by the now-defunct government agency the Nature Conservancy Council the population has exploded.
Over the next 20 years more red kites were released in nine sites in England and Scotland including Yorkshire, the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, Gateshead and Grizedale Forest in Cumbria.
Between 1995 and 2023 the breeding population has shot up by 2,464%, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Dr Mike Pienkowski, who was involved with the early phases of the recovery project, said: “They are thriving. And we know now that other birds of prey are spreading, benefiting because of our work to discourage the illegal persecution of red kites.”
He said he does not believe numbers will get out of hand, adding: “If the population density becomes too high they have a tendency to breed and feed less so the numbers won’t race up indefinitely. They are stabilising.”
Duncan Orr-Ewing, from RSPB Scotland, said the birds, which usually feed on road kill and worms, appeared to be targeting folk because they were being fed by humans and therefore associated them with food.
“We don’t support the feeding of kites. It’s not necessary,” he said. “There’s plenty of food for them in the environment and feeding them is, in some places, creating problems.”
He said it was rare for a kite to attack humans and they were more likely to grab at food in people’s hands. Falconer Chris Johnson said if people continue to feed red kites they could become a target.
“A lot of people think they are helping the kite population. Realistically all it’s doing is making history repeat,” he said.
“Kites became a pest and we persecuted and killed them because they were a problem. They were stealing food from people and we killed them for it. Your best bet – leave them alone.”
