Red kites have made a remarkable recovery in the UK but remain vulnerable to secondary lead poisoning from consuming offal and carcasses containing lead shot. This preventable welfare problem requires transition to non-toxic ammunition.
Lead poisoning in red kites causes neurological damage, weakness, and death in affected individuals. Sub-lethal poisoning impairs flying ability and coordination, reducing hunting success and increasing road collision risk. The welfare harm is entirely preventable through transition to non-lead ammunition: copper and steel expanding bullets perform equivalently to lead for all shooting purposes while eliminating bioaccumulation in scavengers. The continuing use of lead ammunition by parts of the shooting community represents a welfare choice with consequences distributed across the scavenger community including red kites, golden eagles, buzzards, and ravens. The policy solution - mandatory non-lead ammunition - has been implemented for some purposes (waterfowl shooting over wetlands) but not yet comprehensively. The shooting industry's voluntary 5-year transition plan has been criticised for its pace relative to the ongoing welfare harm.