Rare red kite chicks hatch in Scotland

Rare red kite chicks hatch in Scotland

Red kite chicks have hatched in the wild in Aberdeenshire for the first time in almost 150 years.

For the first time in almost 150 years red kite chicks have hatched in Aberdeenshire Photo: RSPB

"The chicks are being raised by birds released two years ago as part of a project to reintroduce the birds to the skies over the county.

At least three have hatched, and the public are being offered the chance to watch two in a nest via CCTV viewing points.

Red kites were once common all over the British Isles, but were persecuted almost to the point of extinction in the 19th century.

In the UK, the population had almost died out until birds began being reintroduced from overseas via breeding programmes in the 1990s".