The red kite is one of Britain's greatest conservation success stories. Reintroduced from Wales and continental Europe, populations now number in the thousands. Understanding ongoing welfare challenges is important for sustaining recovery.
Red kite welfare post-recovery is shaped by ongoing human-caused threats. Lead poisoning from ingested shot causes progressive neurological damage, weakness, and ultimately death - a preventable welfare harm that persists because of incomplete uptake of lead-free ammunition. Illegal secondary poisoning remains an ongoing cause of death in some areas. Supplementary feeding by the public, while well-intentioned, can cause dietary imbalance if kites are fed unsuitable foods (cooked meat, bread) and may reduce natural foraging behaviour. Road strikes occur when kites attracted to road casualty animals misjudge traffic. The overall picture is of a recovered species facing multiple low-level but persistent welfare threats that require continued attention.