Buzzard vs Red Kite: How to Tell Them Apart in the UK
Updated 6 October 2026
Side by side
| Feature | Buzzard | Red Kite |
|---|---|---|
| Size | About 51 to 57 cm long. Wingspan about 113 to 128 cm. | About 60 to 66 cm long. Wingspan about 175 to 195 cm. |
| Key plumage | Variable: dark brown to very pale. Many show a pale band across the chest. Underwing has a dark patch at the bend and a dark trailing edge. | Rusty red body, pale grey streaked head. Large white patches near the wing tips from below, with black "fingers". |
| Tail | Short. Rounded when spread. Grey-brown with fine bars. | Long and forked. Orange-red above. The fork is less obvious when fully fanned. |
| Structure | Broad wings, short neck, stocky body. | Long, narrow wings angled at the bend. Slim body. |
| Flight | Soars with wings raised in a shallow V. Stiff, quick wingbeats. Sometimes hangs in the wind. | Buoyant, with slow, elastic beats. Wings flat or slightly bowed. Tail twists all the time. |
| Song | None. | None. |
| Call | A loud, mewing "pee-yow" that carries far, often given while soaring. | A thin, quavering whistle: a long note, then shorter rising and falling ones. |
| Habitat | Farmland with woods, moorland edges, wooded valleys. Sits on posts and poles. | Wooded farmland and valleys. Over towns and roads in its strongholds. |
| When in the UK | All year. | All year. |
| UK status | Green list. About 63,000 pairs (2016). The UK's commonest bird of prey. | Green list. About 4,400 pairs (2016) and rising fast. Reintroduced from 1989. |
Swipe the table sideways on a small screen.
The quickest way to tell them apart
Tail first, then wings. A forked tail means Red Kite, and no other regular British raptor has one. If the tail is short and round and the bird looks stocky, it is a Buzzard.
At long range, when you cannot see the tail shape, watch how the bird moves. A kite never looks stiff. It flexes, tilts and steers with its tail. A Buzzard holds its shape and circles on fixed, raised wings.
By sight
From below, a Red Kite is boldly marked. The inner wing is dark rufous, the outer wing has a big white window, and the tips are black and deeply fingered. The head looks pale. From above there is a pale diagonal band across each inner wing, and the tail glows orange in sunlight.
Buzzards vary more than any other British raptor. Most are mid brown with a paler band across the chest, but some are almost white below and some are very dark. The pattern that holds for nearly all of them is on the underwing: a dark patch at the bend, pale flight feathers, and a dark rear edge.
Perched, a Buzzard is a thick-set, upright shape on a fence post or telegraph pole. Kites perch less in the open and look longer, with wing tips and tail reaching well beyond the body.
By sound
The Buzzard's call is one of the best known sounds of the British countryside: a loud, cat-like mew, falling in pitch. Birds call most in spring when pairs soar over their territories. Jays and Starlings can copy it, so look up before you count it.
Red Kites are quieter. The call is a thin, wavering whistle, higher and weaker than the Buzzard's mew, heard most near roosts and where several birds gather. Check a recording of either in Sound ID.
By season and habitat
Both are resident and can be seen in any month. Buzzards now breed across almost the whole of the UK after a long recovery, and you can expect one on most country walks.
Red Kites are spreading but still patchy. By the 20th century they survived only in mid Wales. Reintroductions from 1989 set up new populations, with the Chilterns the best known, and kites now range across much of England, Wales and parts of Scotland. In the strongholds they outnumber Buzzards and drift over town centres. In winter they gather at communal roosts. Our Wales guide covers the original kite country.
Common mistakes
- Calling a Buzzard with a damaged or moulting tail a kite. Check the wing shape and the white windows as well.
- Missing a kite because its tail is fanned. A fully spread kite tail can look almost square, but it is still long and red.
- Confusing either with a Marsh Harrier, which also glides on raised wings but has a long, narrow, unforked tail and hunts low over reeds.
Where to see both
The East Midlands is one of the easiest places to watch the two side by side. At Rutland Water both soar over the reservoir and the farmland around it on most fine days.
FAQ
What is the difference between a Buzzard and a Red Kite?
The tail. A Red Kite has a long, forked, rusty-red tail that it twists as it flies. A Buzzard has a short tail that looks rounded when spread. Kites also have longer, narrower wings with large white patches underneath.
Is a Red Kite bigger than a Buzzard?
It is longer, with a much wider wingspan: up to about 195 cm against about 128 cm for a Buzzard. The kite is the slimmer bird, though, and a Buzzard looks stockier and heavier.
Which UK bird of prey has a forked tail?
The Red Kite. It is the only regular British bird of prey with a clearly forked tail. The fork is easy to see when the tail is closed and less obvious when it is fully fanned.
Are Red Kites rare in the UK?
Not any more. The BTO estimates about 4,400 breeding pairs (2016), and numbers are still rising. Reintroductions began in 1989, when the only British kites were in mid Wales.
Log both
Buzzard and Red Kite are both in the Birdedex. Log the next one that drifts over and see which you find first.
Open the Birdedex →