Listen to the red kite
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the red kite
The red kite is a bird in the family Accipitridae (order Accipitriformes). Adults have a wingspan of about 166 cm and weigh around 1.0 kg.
What does the red kite sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds only in Europe, though it formerly also bred in West Asia and Northwest Africa. Historically, it was only resident in the milder parts of its range in Western Europe and Northwestern Africa, whereas all or most red kites in Northern mainland Europe wintered to the south and west, some also reaching western Asia, but an increasing number of northern birds now remain in that region year-round. Vagrants have reached north to Finland and south to Israel, Libya and the Gambia.
Related birds in the genus Milvus
More from the family Accipitridae
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Eurasian sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
Eurasian goshawk
Astur gentilis
Common buzzard
Buteo buteo
Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Eurasian griffon vulture
Gyps fulvus
Hen harrier
Circus cyaneus
Short-toed snake eagle
Circaetus gallicus
Booted eagle
Hieraaetus pennatus
Bonelli's eagle
Aquila fasciata
Black-winged kite
Elanus caeruleus
Frequently asked questions
What does a red kite sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the red kite on this page, including its song. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
What family does the red kite belong to?
The red kite (Milvus milvus) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.
Sources & credits
- Song · Siselen, Erlach, Bern, Switzerland by Pascal Christe – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Niederried bei Kallnach, Aarberg, Bern, Switzerland by Pascal Christe – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q156250 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Red kite – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Noel Reynolds – CC BY 2.0