Red kite attacks mum on school run

A mother has spoken of the "shock" she felt when she was attacked by a bird of prey while on her way to do the school pickup.

Gabriela Thomas from Charvil, near Reading said she was walking along a cycle path near East Park Farm on 21 April, when the red kite swooped.

"Suddenly I felt like something was grabbing my hand and scratched me," she said.

She added that she had been left with a bloody scratch on one of her fingers.

Thomas told BBC Radio Berkshire that she had been walking with a coffee in one hand and her phone in the other and that she believed the bird was eager to get its claws on her drink.

She said she did not see or hear it coming but when she looked up the "massive bird" was circling.

"But the worrying thing was that it didn't want to leave because it didn't get what it came for," added.

She said she began jumping and shouting until the bird eventually flew away.

"I was a little shaken," Thomas said, as the ordeal also delayed her collecting her child.

About the red kite

• It is one of Britain's largest birds of prey, known for its reddish-brown body, long wings, forked tail and distinctive "mewing" calls
• Once considered a threat to game birds and domestic animals like cats and dogs, the red kite was hunted close to extinction in the UK and at one point there were just a few breeding pairs in central Wales
• Red kites are largely scavengers, feeding on carrion and small prey such as rabbits
• The birds breed exclusively in Europe and are endangered due to illegal persecution through shooting, poisoning and trapping

Learning from the incident, Thomas said she is "looking up constantly" and telling her child to not leave any food lying around.

Red kites were nearly extinct in the UK by the end of the 19th Century but thanks to reintroduction projects led by the RSPB and other organisations, they have increased in numbers.

With a wingspan of up to 195cm, it is one of Britain's largest birds of prey, known for its reddish-brown body, long wings, forked tail and distinctive "mewing" calls.

According to the RSPB, the UK is now home to about 17% of the world's red kite population.

The society said: "While incidents like this are very uncommon, we understand that having a bird of prey come close can be unsettling and we're sorry to hear it left someone shaken.

"However, overall red kites pose very little risk to people and there's no cause for concern if you see one flying overhead."

They asked the public to not feed the birds as this can encourage bold behaviour, making them less wary of people.

"There is plenty of food for red kites in the wild,

"The best advice is to keep food covered outdoors and enjoy watching these amazing birds from a distance or a local nature reserve" it added.