Breeding:
Sexual Maturity: 2 to 3 years.
Breeding Season: April to July
Fledging: 45 to 50 days
Incubation: 28 to 30 days.
Number of Eggs laid: 1 to 3

Lifestyle:
Pairs of life.
Courtship occurs annually.

Diet: Small mammals and birds, carrion,and fish.
Life Span: Usually 4 to 5 years, but individuals have lived to 26 years.

The legs and feet are bright yellow and can often be seen when the bird is in flight. Unlike the buzzard, it is usually silent while hunting, but it can be noisy when fighting for scraps of food with carrion crows and other kites.

Image © Roger Wilmhurst 2002

The kite is however relatively weak for a bird of its size and is unable to open the carcass of a sheep but has to wait for the bill of the powerful raven or the jaws of a fox to do this first.

Its voice is an insistent, thin piping raised in complaint. The call is quite distinctive once recognised.