Watch out for your socks...

Unhurried in flight and with a sideline in stolen goods, the handsome red kite is the gentleman thief of the raptor world

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EAGLES may have a near-monopoly in raw power and hunting ospreys own the franchise for pure drama, but no other flying bird of prey possesses the languid eloquence of the red kite (Milvus milvus). No matter the circumstances, the bird seems unable to hurry.

Its wings, proportionate to its weight, are the longest of any British raptor and the full span rises and falls with a slow, measured, deeply rhythmic beat. The forked tail is equally long—even longer by itself, in fact, than most male sparrowhawks. All these parts combine in perfect harmony to create the bird's aerial impression of leisured grace.

At one time, the only part of Britain where you could enjoy this spectacle was central Wales, an area that eventually advertised itself as 'kite country'. It still does, albeit not with the same sense of exclusivity. In the past three decades, there has been such an upsurge in kite range and numbers that it is now hard to judge which is the more exciting development: the restoration of breeding ospreys across Britain, the resurrection of our peregrine population or this red-kite explosion.