Scotland: landowners poison rare red kites

This video is called WALES red kite feeding station, Rhayader (HD-video).

Red kites threatened in Scotland

The illegal abuse of red kites is having a devastating impact on their population, according to new research.

RSPB Scotland said landowners were still laying poison baits and shooting the birds, which are often seen as a threat to game, poultry and livestock.

The charity’s study found that an estimated 185 birds were killed between 1999 and 2006 – an average of 23 birds per year.

The RSPB said the figures may not indicate the full scale of the problem.

The organisation’s scientists believe the corpses of birds killed deliberately were more likely to be hidden or disposed of than those that had died naturally.

They believed that the research could also indicate what is happening to other bird of prey populations.

The practice of laying poisoned baits, normally in the form of agricultural pesticides, has been illegal since the 1900s.

Update: here.

Red kites in Aberdeen: here.

210 Red kite chicks fledge in Scotland in 2008. New visitor centre opens at Argaty: here.

Anti wild bird crimes in Wales: here.

Mixed red-black kite nest: here.