It wasn’t long ago that Swallow-tailed Kites were in trouble. In the late 19th and early 20th century their populations had declined significantly. Today their numbers are rebounding, but they are still considered a species of conservation concern in the southeastern United States. FWC researchers recently located 132 Swallow-tailed Kite nests in and around the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed WEA in southwest Florida. They monitored these nests to determine how characteristics of the nesting site affected the nest survival rate (the percentage of nests that survive to fledging).
Of these nests, 49 percent successfully fledged young. Researchers identified two key characteristics correlated with nest survival: nesting date and tree diameter. Nests started early in the nesting season (mid-March) were more than three times as likely to fledge young as nests started later in the season (mid-May). Additionally, nests in larger-diameter trees were more likely to be successful than nests in younger, smaller-diameter trees. These findings suggest that the large pine and cypress trees formerly found in old growth bottomland hardwood and lowland pine forests in the U.S. could have provided superior nesting opportunities for the kites.
Information for this article was provided by Karl Miller, Avian Research Scientist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
