Red Kite feeding in Wales
Encyclopedia
Red Kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...

s in some parts of mid-Wales are regularly fed by humans. This has a dual purpose: it is intended to help sustain and increase the kite population through the provision of extra food, and it also acts as a tourism draw.

Locations at which this takes place include:
  • The Black Mountain Feeding Station at Llanddeusant
    Llanddeusant, Carmarthenshire
    Llanddeusant is a community in the Black Mountain region of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is about 5 miles southeast of Llangadog....

     in the Brecon Beacons
    Brecon Beacons
    The Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park...

    , which is visited daily by over 50 birds.
  • Gigrin Farm Red Kite Feeding and Rehabilitation Centre, near Rhayader
    Rhayader
    Rhayader is a market town and community in Powys, Mid Wales. It has a population of 2,075, and is the first town on the banks of the River Wye, from its source on the Plynlimon range of the Cambrian Mountains....

     where between 200 and 500 kites visit per day. The visiting birds regularly include the very rare leucistic
    Leucistic
    Leucism is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals and humans. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.- Details :...

     (white) red kite.
  • Nant-yr-Arian, a Forestry Commission
    Forestry Commission
    The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....

     centre near Ponterwyd
    Ponterwyd
    Ponterwyd is a village in Ceredigion, Wales. It lies in the Cambrian Mountains of Mid Wales, approximately 12 miles east of Aberystwyth on the A44 road.-Historical background:...

    , Ceredigion
    Ceredigion
    Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...

    , where over 30 kites feed every day.


Debate has taken place over the effectiveness of kite-feeding as a conservation method. Practitioners of kite-feeding argue that it has helped to increase the species' population, and sustain the birds through poor winters. It has also been suggested that the practice of feeding kites has hampered their spread out of central Wales into other parts of the United Kingdom.
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