Red kites were reintroduced in the Chiltern hills

A new study has revealed that too many of the birds being reintroduced to the Buckinghamshire hills are staying put.

Conservationists said people were feeding the birds of prey in their gardens, preventing them from learning to fend for themselves.

Graham Madge from the RSPB in Sandy, Bedfordshire, said the problem stopped the birds spreading out across the UK.

"Red kites are basically scavengers and kitchen scraps left out for them constitute easy pickings," Mr Madge said.

"The birds are not being encouraged to disperse and hunt for new food sources.

"The original purpose of introducing them to the Chilterns was to give them a secure environment where numbers could build up and spread to other parts of the UK.