Red kites thriving in England 30 years after reintroduction

Three decades after 13 were flown in by jet from Spain, there are nearly 2,000 breeding pairs of red kites across the country

In July 1990, 13 red kites had to be flown by British Airways jet from Spain before they could grace the skies of the Chilterns.

Thirty years on, nearly 2,000 breeding pairs of red kites display their distinctive forked tails as they soar over virtually every English county, in what has been hailed as one of the most successful reintroduction projects in the world.