A pet owner has urged others to be on their guard after a Red Kite tried to attack her bird in her own garden.

The Wooburn resident said her pet Goffin's cockatoo was nearly taken from the garden by the bird of prey on Saturday afternoon.

According to the owner, who shared the warning on Nextdoor, the pet cockatoo likes to walk around on the grass and patio in the garden.

She said the Red Kite flew down and "attempted to take her" - adding: "Please, please, be careful when your pets are outside."

ALSO READ: ONS map shows coronavirus deaths in the area

The Red Kite was once a rare sight and was only found in Wales, but was successfully reintroduced in several areas of the UK, including the Chilterns, in a bid to save it from extinction.

While the birds of prey are largely scavengers, eating carrion and scraps, there has been reports of them attacking families and walkers in search of food.

ALSO READ: Chalfont St Giles £8.25 million mansion goes up for sale

Last year, the Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust warned that some Red Kites are becoming "tame" because people keep feeding them.

In 2018, people were warned not to feed the birds of prey after two toddlers were left with cuts when a bird swooped in and tried to snatch their sandwiches in Higginson Park in Marlow.

In 2016, a three-year-old girl was clawed by the large bird as it swooped down to try and take a cupcake from a picnic bench at Watlington Park, near Stokenchurch.