Swallow-tailed Kite Research and Monitoring Project
Swallow-tailed Kite Research and Monitoring Project
by Jennifer Coulson
The Swallow-tailed Kite’s beauty and grace are unrivaled among birds. In spring and summer, birders from across the globe travel to its favorite haunts such as the Atchafalaya Basin and Honey Island Swamp to catch a glimpse of this marvelous raptor. Jennifer Coulson, President of Orleans Audubon Society, has studied the kite since 1993. She describes a particularly charismatic kite moment:
“My friend Rene Henry reported seeing several kites over the Bogue Falaya River. I arrived midday in June when the heat and humidity were insufferable with no hint of a breeze. I launched my kayak on a quiet stretch of the river where an adult soared overhead. As I drifted slowly downstream the kite made wide circles over the bend of the river, flying progressively lower. Now the kite was below the canopy. I held my breath and dared not move, because I knew its intention—it wanted to drink from the river. Suddenly it turned and dropped low, skimming the surface of the water with its bill like a swallow. It parted the water in a straight line for about 2.5 feet before lifting off to circle the river bend again. I could not believe my luck, and then it did it twice more. This happened directly in front of my kayak no more than 15 or 20 feet from the bough. The image of this kite and its reflection in the rippling water are vividly etched upon my mind.”
The Swallow-tailed Kite is considered to be an area-sensitive species because of its large home range size. Conservationists believe that contiguous, 100,000-acre tracts of forested wetlands are needed to sustain healthy subpopulations. The kite is sometimes designated as an umbrella species for conservation planning. When management focuses on protecting and conserving habitat for Swallow-tailed Kites, an entire suite of species dependent on forested wetlands also benefit.
The northern Swallow-tailed Kite experienced a severe population decline and dramatic reduction in breeding range from 1880 to 1910. The U.S. breeding range, which once spanned 21 states, is now limited to seven southeastern states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Beginning in 2002, a single pair has sometimes nested in the White River Basin in Arkansas, but not every year. The current U.S. population size is precariously small—probably between 3,000 to 5,000 individuals or 800 to 2,500 pairs (Meyer 1995)—and less than that of some federally endangered species of birds. For example, in 2000 the world population of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers was estimated at 5,627 active clusters or 14,068 birds (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2003). The Swallow-tailed Kite was proposed as a Category 2 candidate for federal listing as a threatened or endangered species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1985). The Orleans Audubon Society and other groups are collecting population data needed to support federal listing.
One important conservation goal is to determine how many Swallow-tailed Kites there are in the U.S. today. One way to do this is to count kites in late summer when they gather in the swamps to form large roosts before migrating south for the wintering grounds. The Swallow-tailed Kite Conservation Alliance proposed that researchers conduct a region-wide, simultaneous survey of the U.S. population by counting kites in their pre-migration roosts along Gulf and Atlantic coastal rivers from Texas to South Carolina. Survey results can be used as an index or measure of how the population is doing over time. The Orleans Audubon Society is partnering with: Avian Research and Conservation Institute, Swallow-tailed Kite Conservation Alliance, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, and Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and other state agencies to conduct the simultaneous, region-wide pre-migration roost surveys.
Have you seen this bird?
Please report sightings of the Swallow-tailed Kite. Sightings of nests, roosts, kites carrying nest material or food, locations where kites are seen regularly, and sightings of more than one kite are of particular interest. Your sightings will help the Orleans Audubon Society study this rare bird of prey.
Information to report:
Date of sighting
Location (please be as specific as possible)
How many kites were observed?
Was there anything else of interest (e.g., carrying a snake)?
Your contact information
Report sightings in Louisiana and Mississippi to:
Jennifer Coulson
Report sightings nationwide at:
http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/swallowtail/swallowtail.html
