Today the official presentation of the Red Kite Captive Breeding Centre was held in Mallorca, an initiative of the Natura Parc Foundation with the support of the Biodiversity Foundation, a pioneer in Europe, as it is the first centre created exclusively for the captive breeding of this species.

The opening ceremony was attended by the deputy coordinator of the Biodiversity Foundation, Miguel Ángel Pérez, together with the president of the Natura Parc Foundation, Antonio Mas; the Minister of the Environment of the Balearic Government, Gabriel Vicens; the mayor of Santa Eugenia, Guillem Crespí; the president of the Mallorca Rural Association, Jaime Orell, and the director of the Captive Breeding Project of the Red Kite, Nieves Negre.

The main objective of the Captive Breeding project of the Red Kite – Milvus milvus, is to consolidate a nucleus of breeding animals in order to reinforce the wild populations of the species, which is listed as Endangered in the Balearic Islands and as Vulnerable at the state level.

Currently, the center has 22 specimens, some loaned by recovery centers and others acquired in Europe. The facilities have nine breeding cages, four individual cages for future die-cut animals, a control room, an incubator room, a breeding room and a warehouse. In addition, the project is supervised by three professional technicians, including a veterinarian, a biologist and a reproductive technician.

The birds in the breeding centre are subjected to a health check between the months of January and February, before the breeding period. Subsequently, the breeding pairs are placed in the breeding cages and an ethological study is carried out. Thanks to the cameras installed in the different enclosures, the animals are monitored 24 hours a day, which helps to obtain extensive and detailed information. During the months of August and September, a second health check is carried out and during the winter they are all relocated to flight cages.

With the aim of protecting this species, the Biodiversity Foundation has also collaborated with the Balearic Ornithological and Natural Defense Group (GOB), in the development of conservation actions of the red kite with the aim of recovering the island population to place it in a non-threatened category, and supports the Association of Friends of the Vallcalent Wildlife Centre (TRENCA). which is carrying out a project that foresees the construction in the Catalan Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees of two supplementary feeding points for large necrophages, including the red kite.