Many of the red kites released in the Aspromonte National Park in 2023-2024 thanks to the LIFE MILVUS project have made significant journeys, while returning sporadically to their birthplace. They have repeatedly reached Sicily, where some of them have wintered, and have explored peninsular Italy, passing through Basilicata, Puglia, and Campania and pushing as far as Molise, Abruzzo, and Marche.
In the first years of life, it is common for red kites to make significant erratic movements while maintaining an inseparable bond with their birth area, where they settle when it is time to occupy a territory and reproduce.
The red kite Andrea, born in Switzerland and released in the Aspromonte National Park in the summer of 2023, is a tireless traveler. After making several trips between Sicily and Calabria, in October 2024 he was wounded by a gunshot while flying in an area south of Reggio Calabria. Thanks to the care he received at the “Stretto di Messina” Wildlife Recovery Center, the young red kite was released on January 19, 2025, in Sicily, in the Madonie Regional Park.
From the day of his second “flight” onwards, Andrea wandered far and wide. First he explored Sicily, then, on May 3, he flew to Calabria and returned to the release area. From there, he made several round trips between the Aspromonte National Park, Basilicata, and Puglia. On July 24, Andrea headed north and reached the province of Fermo, in southern Marche, where he remained until October 3, when he began an uninterrupted descent along the Adriatic coast of the peninsula, which brought him back to Aspromonte on October 8.
From January 19, 2025, the day he regained his freedom after surviving the infamous act of poaching, to October 10, 2025, Andrea traveled a remarkable 6,500 km!
Map of Andrea's movements from January 19, 2025, to October 10, 2025
