How a young male adult (SWIK46), born, raised and tagged in 2015, settled a territory. Swik46 sitting on a fence post, while calling when black crows and other kites come close. This is the place with the most GPS points on the map. The couple of meadows around this fence must provide the kite with most of its food, probably voles and earthworms. Note the dark, contrasting bill which is typical for a younger bird. 29-10-2017, Switzerland FR. Of the 44 nestlings tagged in 2015, about 19 are still alive, of those, 5 birds settled a territory of which two (both females) build nests this year, of which one laid eggs but failed to breed successfully. Although our Red Kites are (partial) migrants, settling and defending territories is a process that seems to continue in autumn and winter. The male on the picture above, now in its third calendar year, settled his territory, which is obvious when looking at his movement pattern of the last month (October). The movement of Swik46 in...
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