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Red Kite（Red Kite） Photo: Thomas Kraft (ThKraft) · CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗
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Birds of preyLocal resident, not common throughout Ireland

Milvus milvus

Red Kite

A reintroduced raptor now established in parts of Ireland.

A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.

I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Locally distributed

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go
All year, but locally distributed
Where to start
Look especially over open countryside in Wicklow and other reintroduction areas.
What to do when you arrive
Scan skies from public paths in known reintroduction areas for a deeply forked tail and long wings. Do not feed birds, pursue them by car, or seek nests or communal roosts.

Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

Public visiting destinations on the island of Ireland Numbers correspond to the destination descriptions below; markers are not wildlife locations or entrance directions. 1. Avoca village · Red Kite Loop. 1 DESTINATIONS · NOT FOR NAVIGATION
What does the map mark?

Markers show approximate public destinations or visitor bases, not individuals, nests, rare plants or exact entrances. Follow the operator’s routes and signs for access.

Base map: Natural Earth · Public domain
Destination positions: © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL

  1. Avoca village · Red Kite Loop

    Operator or specialist guide

    BirdWatch Ireland identifies the Avoca area for Red Kite; Sport Ireland independently documents the public loop. The marker is the approximate village location, not a nest or roost.

    Before you goFollow the official route from the car park opposite the church: about 2 km, moderate. Scan skies from public routes, not private fields; do not feed birds and keep dogs on leads.

    Official routes & visiting information ↗ Find the destination on OpenStreetMap ↗
    Destination evidence & review date

    Sources reviewed: · A review date is not a sighting date; recheck access before travelling.

SPECIES NOTESSpecies notes
01

How to identify it

Long forked tail, angled wings, reddish-brown body and large pale patches in the outer underwings. Young birds have a shallower fork; much longer-tailed than Buzzard.

02

Habitat

Farmland, grassland, hedges and rural woodland edges.

03

Behaviour

Searches fields in slow flight for carrion and small prey.

04

When to look

All year, but locally distributed

05

Where to look

Look especially over open countryside in Wicklow and other reintroduction areas.

Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.

Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · Wikipedia ↗

COMMUNITY SIGHTINGS

Recent encounters

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