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a massive Red Kite:
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Red Kites are bird of prey with a wingspan of almost two metres, and a distinctive forked tail.
By the early 1900s they had practically disappeared from the UK due to hunting and poisoning.
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In 2004 the Northern Kites Project began to return the kites to North East England, after an absence of over 170 years. 94 kites were released in the lower Derwent Valley and a viable breeding colony has been established. The ceremony at the Baltic was to celebrate the success of the project.
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