Red & black kite

[Pantherophis]

I haven't any and also didn't plan to have 1 on short time. I only wanna know that a red kite (milvus milvus) and a black kite (milvus migrans) are easy to train.

I heared they aren't good for hunting, why? How is the training to do demo's with them? Is it easy? How would it be done, similar to other birds?
Which character has these birds and what are the differences between the red and the black kite, except the colour and scientific name?

So just give me info about these beautiful birds please. :wink:

[RabbitHawker]

They cannot be used for hunting, thay really scavenge most of the time, and eat small birds, lizards and mammals on the wing. They are very acrobatic, I have seem black kites stealing food from tourists hands in Tanzania.

[Lanner_Man]

i've seen kite in demos and they seem to look great. usually the falconer tosses tit bits up to the bird and they also threw bits on the floor and the bird was picking them up without landing, great demo birds.

[Pantherophis]

i've seen kite in demos and they seem to look great. usually the falconer tosses tit bits up to the bird and they also threw bits on the floor and the bird was picking them up without landing, great demo birds.

The reason I love them, and also their beautiful colours.

[Finnish]

Black Kite

A master scavenger, this great opportunist can display remarkable aerial agility in snatching food. unable to kill prey much bigger than a rat, it also gleans all kinds of carrion and scrapps, and has a foundness for fish. Live prey taken includes many young birds such as ducks, moorhens and gulls. Amphibians and reptiles are taken, as well as insects, worms and snails; some insects are captured in flight.

[Pantherophis]

Someone who can tell me it's easy or difficult to train kites for demo's?
What is their character? Are they friendly or can they be aggresive?

[Shaun Byrne]

Someone who can tell me it's easy or difficult to train kites for demo's?
What is their character? Are they friendly or can they be aggresive?

Red Kites can no longer be taken, bought or used in this country for breeding, falconry or display. They can no longer be used for display work and any centre that already has them must now move them away from public view.

This is down to an illegal blood line entering the UK via Europe. A friend has spoken to DEFRA and confirmed this last week.

Black Kites are not affected.

[Pantherophis]

Someone who can tell me it's easy or difficult to train kites for demo's?
What is their character? Are they friendly or can they be aggresive?

Red Kites can no longer be taken, bought or used in this country for breeding, falconry or display. They can no longer be used for display work and any centre that already has them must now move them away from public view.

This is down to an illegal blood line entering the UK via Europe. A friend has spoken to DEFRA and confirmed this last week.

Black Kites are not affected.

Is this only for UK? And why such a measure for an illegal blood line?

In Hellenthal (Germany) they keep displaying with red and black kites. Are that illegal business or doesn't that count for Germany?

[OhMyGod]

Kites are incredibly easy to train for demo.

I used to throw bits of food up to wild black kites, after a couple of days I would do this after the display at the same time every day. perhaps a week later the kites would come out of nowhere as soon as the audience clapped at the end, I would throw food up to them for an extra bit of the display explaining about their pirate techniques to hunting. They would take food from my hand as I held it up after a few weeks of conditioning them to do this, and this was in front of 200 - 700 people. 20 or so wild kites.

I have also used captive kites for display but I wouldn't recomend flying it to the fist. I used to open the aviery door and let them out. throw bits of food up and on the floor near the audience, after their turn was up I would throw the food in through the door and they would all go back in on their own. They were never weighed and always performed extremely well in the display being a good crowd pleaser.