Red kites were considered vermin across Britain and Ireland during the 16th century and their numbers were rigorously controlled. While public perceptions have changed, gamekeepers and farmers still illegally shoot, poison and trap red kites for the perceived harm they cause to livestock and game.
In company with many other species of bird and mammal, they were seen as a direct threat to food supplies at a time when the human population was growing.
There are now Red Kite re-introudction projects in certain counties of the United Kingdom……For example
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