WILTSHIRE birdwatchers are being urged to watch the skies as sightings of the elusive red kite are becoming increasingly common in the county.

Once an everyday sight in English towns and rural areas, the red kite, a strikingly marked bird of prey with a distinctive forked tail pictured below, was driven to the verge of extinction in the 19th century.

New figures released by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and English Heritage show numbers of red kites have soared to their highest levels in 150 years. The UK population of kites now stands at around 429 pairs, of which 131 pairs are in England.

Stephen Davis, conservation officer at the Wiltshire office of English Heritage in Devizes, says he sees the birds regularly soaring above the A4 when he is driving between Hungerford and Marlborough.

He said: "It is one of the most exciting aspects of this project that the progeny of the birds released in the Chilterns are moving further south west and could soon be a familiar part of our rural scene.

"They feed on carrion so it is within the bounds of possibility we may soon see them scavenging on the roadside."

Other birds of prey such as the kestrel and the buzzard have returned to the area after being restricted to the rocky upland areas of Devon and Dorset.

Mr Davis added: "Red kites particularly favour areas where there is native, broad-leaved woodland. They are magnificent, richly coloured birds. Look out for the rusty red underparts and forked tail, and the angled wings which have a white patch and black tips."

The red kite was lost from England more than a century ago.

Its successful return is the result of five re-introduction schemes, three in England and two in Scotland, which have relocated young birds from stable and numerous populations in Spain and Sweden.