Wing Tags & Monitoring
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Some Red Kite chicks are fitted with wing tags and ringed - the ring is attached to one leg. Each ring contains a unique identification number. (See image, left, of ringed and wing tagged Aberdeen bird)
Above: The tag on the left wing denotes the area from where the bird came from. In this case it is yellow, therefore a Chilterns kite, although kites from Hants, W Sussex and Wilts have yellow tags too.
Right: The tag on the right wing denotes the year the bird hatched. Pink is the colour for 2009. Note the yellow band on the bottom of the tag, denoting the location of origin.
Each tag also has a number which is unique to that particular bird in a specific year, and identifies the nest where the bird was raised.
The wing tags enable fieldworkers to glean vital information about the kites, such as their movements. The tags are viewable by means of binoculars or a 'scope. The tag usually stays on the bird for several years.
Chilterns ...................Yellow
(including southern counties)
East Midlands .......... White
Yorkshire ..................Orange
Wales ...................... Black
Central Scotland ...... Red
North Scotland ......... Blue
Dumfries & Galloway..Green
North East England .. Pink
Aberdeen ..................Purple
1999 - Black
2000 - Pink
2001 - Blue
2002 – White
2003 – Red
2004 – Yellow
2005 - Orange
2006 – Green
2007 - Purple
2008 - Black
2009 - Pink
2010 - Blue
MONITORING INFORMATION (CHILTERNS)
The Southern England Kite Group (SEKG)monitors the red kite population in the Chilterns
and surrounding area.
The group monitors the birds through several ways, including roost counts, fitting wing tags, ringing, and radio tracking.
The photo on the right shows a kite that had just been taken from a nest in preparation for being released as part of the Northern Red Kites Project.
During the breeding season, experienced tree climbers check the nests. When the birds are approximately 5 weeks old, they are ringed by trained licensed ringers. The birds are also wing-tagged, measured, weighed and given a general check over.
The photo on the right shows 3 chicks that had just been lowered down from the nest, ready to be weighed, measured, ringed and wing-tagged. Not all the chicks are wing-tagged when lowered from the nest - it depends on how well developed they are.
Note the difference between the sizes. The bird on the right is clearly more developed than the one on the left, who has some catching up to do! This is quite normal when more than one chick is being raised, since the first hatched is usually the biggest chick that takes the majority of the food. The parents tend to feed the stronger of the chicks, which ensures at least one of them survive.
A chick ready to be wing-tagged and ringed.
Photos © Helen Olive
.
.
.
Some Red Kite chicks are fitted with wing tags and ringed - the ring is attached to one leg. Each ring contains a unique identification number. (See image, left, of ringed and wing tagged Aberdeen bird)
Above: The tag on the left wing denotes the area from where the bird came from. In this case it is yellow, therefore a Chilterns kite, although kites from Hants, W Sussex and Wilts have yellow tags too.
Right: The tag on the right wing denotes the year the bird hatched. Pink is the colour for 2009. Note the yellow band on the bottom of the tag, denoting the location of origin.
Each tag also has a number which is unique to that particular bird in a specific year, and identifies the nest where the bird was raised.
The wing tags enable fieldworkers to glean vital information about the kites, such as their movements. The tags are viewable by means of binoculars or a 'scope. The tag usually stays on the bird for several years.
Below is an explanation of some of the wings tags you may see:
Colour of tag on LEFT wing:Chilterns ...................Yellow
(including southern counties)
East Midlands .......... White
Yorkshire ..................Orange
Wales ...................... Black
Central Scotland ...... Red
North Scotland ......... Blue
Dumfries & Galloway..Green
North East England .. Pink
Aberdeen ..................Purple
1999 - Black
2000 - Pink
2001 - Blue
2002 – White
2003 – Red
2004 – Yellow
2005 - Orange
2006 – Green
2007 - Purple
2008 - Black
2009 - Pink
2010 - Blue
MONITORING INFORMATION (CHILTERNS)
The Southern England Kite Group (SEKG)monitors the red kite population in the Chilterns
and surrounding area.
The group monitors the birds through several ways, including roost counts, fitting wing tags, ringing, and radio tracking.
The photo on the right shows a kite that had just been taken from a nest in preparation for being released as part of the Northern Red Kites Project.
During the breeding season, experienced tree climbers check the nests. When the birds are approximately 5 weeks old, they are ringed by trained licensed ringers. The birds are also wing-tagged, measured, weighed and given a general check over.
The photo on the right shows 3 chicks that had just been lowered down from the nest, ready to be weighed, measured, ringed and wing-tagged. Not all the chicks are wing-tagged when lowered from the nest - it depends on how well developed they are.
Note the difference between the sizes. The bird on the right is clearly more developed than the one on the left, who has some catching up to do! This is quite normal when more than one chick is being raised, since the first hatched is usually the biggest chick that takes the majority of the food. The parents tend to feed the stronger of the chicks, which ensures at least one of them survive.
A chick ready to be wing-tagged and ringed.
Photos © Helen Olive