One of Britain's best wildlife spectacles!
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Kite Country One of Britain's best wildlife spectacles! |
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BREEDING
Welsh Red Kites breed for the first time when two or three years old. Courtship and nest-building usually start in earnest during March, about two to four weeks before the first egg is laid. In Wales, nests are built exclusively in trees - mostly in hardwoods, such as oaks. Nests are usually built 4 - 30 metres above the ground, and are fairly flat, untidy structures about two feet wide, made of sticks. Eggs are normally laid at three-day intervals, with incubation carried out by the female. One to four eggs are laid, usually two by Welsh kites. Each egg hatches between 31 and 35 days after incubation, the chicks hatching at two/three day intervals. Because of this, sibling aggression is common and the larger chick will peck vigorously at its younger nest-mates if they attempt to get food before it has had its fill. In nests where food is in short supply the size difference between the chicks will increase with the smaller one(s) ultimately dying of starvation or being killed by the larger chick(s). In Welsh Kites it is most common for a single chick to be reared, although broods of two do occur. |
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History