The last of the original red kites introduced to the Highlands from Sweden has died.
The rare bird was only a chick when it was flown by the RAF from Sweden into Kinloss in 1993.
The red kite was found dead close to Munlochy on the Black Isle at a site where he and his mate had nested for the past eight years.
Brian Etheridge, RSPB raptor monitoring officer, said: "I must say finding this bird, known to me as Red T on account of his wing tag code, made me particularly sad.
"He was in his nineteenth year and, undoubtedly, raised a lot of youngsters over his life-time.
"The wood in which he was found was in the process of being clear-felled when his body was discovered. His mate of 15 years was circling overhead, her life-long mate gone and her nest cut-down.
"I strongly suspect that Red T will be the last survivor of the birds that were born in Sweden. Nineteen is a very old age for a kite particularly in this area.
"Unfortunately illegal poisoning, particularly on the grouse moors south of Inverness, continues to take a terrible toll on our red kites and other birds of prey."
More than 90 red kites were introduced into the Black Isle between 1989 and 1993.
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