Red kite
Milvus milvus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Status not recordedbirds of prey
The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 1.01 kg to 1.23 kg.
Quick facts about the red kite
- Weight
- 1.01 kg – 1.23 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.66 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the red kite?
Photos of the red kite
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the red kite live?
Not recorded
What is the red kite?
The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds only in Europe, though it formerly also bred in West Asia and Northwest Africa. Historically, it was only resident in the milder parts of its range in Western Europe and Northwestern Africa, whereas all or most red kites in Northern mainland Europe wintered to the south and west, some also reaching western Asia, but an increasing number of northern birds now remain in that region year-round. Vagrants have reached north to Finland and south to Israel, Libya and the Gambia.
From the Wikipedia article “Red kite” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_kite&oldid=1384592095), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the red kite endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the red kite classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae
- genusMilvus
- SpeciesMilvus milvus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Falco milvus, Milvus ictinius, Milvus regalis
Other names and names in other languages (89)
- حدأة حمراءArabic
- MilanetaAragonese
- PardonAsturian
- Milán del Rau ForcauAsturian
- milán rauforcáuAsturian
- Qırmızı çalağanAzerbaijani
- Каршун чырвоныBelarusian
- Чырвоны каршунBelarusian
- Червена каняBulgarian
- Червена канpBulgarian
- Barged ruzBreton
- MilanaCatalan
- milà reialCatalan
- Якшар ӓмӹртMari
- MilvuCorsican
- luňák červenýCzech
- BarcudWelsh
- Barcud CochWelsh
- BarcutiaidWelsh
- Rød GlenteDanish
- RotmilanGerman
- GabelweiheGerman
- KönigsweiheGerman
- Roter MilanGerman
- ΨαλιδιάρηςGreek
- rufa milvoEsperanto
- Ruĝa milvoEsperanto
- Milano realSpanish
- puna-harksabaEstonian
- miru gorriBasque
- Miru GorriaBasque
- کورکور حناییPersian
- isohaarahaukkaFinnish
- GlentaFaroese
- Milan royalFrench
- Ruad miilaanNorthern Frisian
- Reade GleeWestern Frisian
- Cúr ruaIrish
- Clamhan GabhlachScottish Gaelic
- clamhain ghobhlachScottish Gaelic
- clamhan gobhlachScottish Gaelic
- preachain nan cearcScottish Gaelic
- preachan nan cearcScottish Gaelic
- Millafre realGalician
- Famman mooarManx
- דיה אדומהHebrew
- crvena lunjaCroatian
- vörös kányaHungarian
- Ցին կարմիրArmenian
- SvölugleðaIcelandic
- Nibbio realeItalian
- アカトビJapanese
- ბორაGeorgian
- 붉은솔개Korean
- ScowlCornish
- Roude MilanLuxembourgish
- Roude SchéierschwanzLuxembourgish
- rudasis peslysLithuanian
- sarkanā klijaLatvian
- sarkanā klījaLatvian
- црвена луњаMacedonian
- Astun AħmarMaltese
- GlenttreNorwegian Bokmål
- GlenteNorwegian Bokmål
- rode wouwDutch
- raudglenteNorwegian Nynorsk
- ଗେରୁଆ ଚିଲOdia
- kania rudaPolish
- milhafre-realPortuguese
- Milan cotschenRomansh
- Gaie roşieRomanian
- Gaie RoșieRomanian
- Красный коршунRussian
- StuorrasuorrehávutNorthern Sami
- suorrefálliNorthern Sami
- haja červenáSlovak
- rjavi škarnikSlovenian
- Huta bishtgërshërë e kuqërremeAlbanian
- Riđa lunjaSerbian
- Риђа љуњаSerbian
- Ridja lunja - Риђа лунјаSerbian
- röd gladaSwedish
- gladaSwedish
- Kızıl ÇaylakTurkish
- Kızıl goncalarTurkish
- шуліка рудийUkrainian
- 紅鳶Chinese
- 赤鳶Chinese
- 赤鸢Chinese
Relatives of the red kite
Other species in the same genus Milvus.
Black kite
Milvus migrans
Yellow-billed kite
Milvus aegyptius
Red kite x black kite
Milvus milvus x migrans
CompareRed kite vs Black kiteRed kite vs Yellow-billed kiteRed kite vs Red kite x black kite
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the red kite?
An adult red kite weighs 1.01 kg – 1.23 kg and has a wingspan of 1.66 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the red kite?
The red kite (Milvus milvus) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Red kite (Milvus milvus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-kite
“Red kite (Milvus milvus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-kite.
@misc{red_kite_2026,
title = {Red kite (Milvus milvus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-kite},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}