4752 x 3168 px | 40,2 x 26,8 cm | 15,8 x 10,6 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
30 giugno 2010
Ubicazione:
Gloucestershire close to the border with Wales.
Altre informazioni:
This portrait is of a Red Kite. Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white patches under the wings and a pale grey head. They have a wingspan of nearly two metres (about five-and-a-half-feet), but a relatively small body weight of 2 - 3 Ibs. This means the bird is incredibly agile, and can stay in the air for many hours with hardly a beat of its wings. Red Kites are neither particularly strong nor aggressive despite being large birds. Primarily a scavenger and an opportunist; it profits from sheep carrion but is not capable of opening up sheep or lamb carcasses by itself and has to wait until more powerful birds such as ravens or buzzards have made the first inroads before it will attempt to feed. Red Kites are however predators and take a wide variety of live prey, ranging from earthworms to small mammals, amphibians and birds.
