Would a red kite take a rabbit?

There are 2 circling our garden.

The bunnies are in their house and run but I had planned to let them out to play

Yes

Thought so.

3 grumpy bunnies here then! I think they know they are there anyway, Tango just jumped out of his skin when I walked past their house.

Possibly - primarily they are just scavengers and go for roadkill/dead carcasses, but they can also take little animals. I wouldn't risk it, especially if there are two. That's why my bunnies never free range, we have Red Kites over our garden practically every day.

They tend to eat carrion and very small prey, but yes, they will take rabbits too.

I think Tango and Pepper are too big, but Finx is smaller and is light in colour so stands out a mile.

They can stay home just in case!

When there have been previous threads about kites most people have said they only eat dead animals and small mammals such as mice, and that rabbits are safe.

I never take the chance as don't know one bird from another!

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JemimaH said:

Possibly - primarily they are just scavengers and go for roadkill/dead carcasses, but they can also take little animals. I wouldn't risk it, especially if there are two. That's why my bunnies never free range, we have Red Kites over our garden practically every day.

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Same here and with red kites everywhere in our area (Camberley/Bracknell/Wokingham) it's why I don't rehome to situations where rabbits are allowed to free range without supervision either. Just isn't worth the risk.

Quite often it's not long after I've put bunnies out in the run that the red kite appears overhead and comes down low enough to be photographed doing it.

To me, just not worth the risk. I have not had personal experience of one taking live rabbits, but I have read about someone who witnessed one taking a rat - and I'm pretty certain that it would have a go even if it couldn't lift the bunny off the floor. The talons alone could do some damage, not to mention any stress related issues for the rabbits too, like heart failure.

Jack's-Jane said:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/p...ff-with-handbag-sized-Pomeranian-toy-dog.html

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Oh no!!

That's interesting, I have been noticing them a lot more lately. The bunnies don't free range without supervision anyway, but it's another thing to think about...!