Query about unusual tails on red kites

Margaret Audrey · #1 (**permalink**) 21-08-2010, 06:58 PM

Hello, I am new to WAB.

I live in the Chilterns and have been feeding a family of red kites on pieces of chicken wings. I noticed the younger members of the family of five have the normal kite forked tails but also another fork above that.

It looked very similar to the image on WAB here:
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/pi...hp?photo=42454

Is this to give them better manoeverability and compensate for smaller wings?

Thanks for any suggestions.

GuyF · #2 (**permalink**) 22-08-2010, 11:22 AM

Hi Margaret, welcome to the site!
To me it looks like that bird is moulting and it has lost some feathers from either side of the tail leaving it with the stepped appearance, so perhaps your birds are the same. You're lucky having Kites so close to you, they're still a fairly rare sight where I live although I expect it's only a matter of time before they're breeding here!
Guy

Margaret Audrey · #3 (**permalink**) 28-08-2010, 03:23 PM

Thank you for your feedback on my query.

There is a photo in my first post (click on link to see), which shows a similar tail formation to the ones I observed. I think I was looking at juvenile red kites, so doubt whether they would be moulting... But I am happy to be informed otherwise!

Does anyone know if this is a common red kite or raptor moulting pattern?

RoyW · #4 (**permalink**) 29-08-2010, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Audrey

There is a photo in my first post (click on link to see), which shows a similar tail formation to the ones I observed. I think I was looking at juvenile red kites, so doubt whether they would be moulting...

The photo that you linked does show a bird that is in moult (so is at least a year old). The shorter feathers on either side of the tail, which form the 'second fork', are the new outer tail feathers that have partially regrown. This sort of regrowth could be seen in many species.
If the birds that you saw were juveniles then they wouldn't be in moult, it's not possible to confirm that they were (or weren't) young birds without some idea of why you thought they were juveniles. The fact that they were coming to food in a group does not necessarily mean that they were a family party.