Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: Update from the Flyway

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Update from the Flyway

News from the flyway on our 16 GPS-tracked Swallow-tailed Kites on their southbound migration:

Two kites are south of the Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: Sanibel and Ponchitolawa. These kites have flown over 5,000 miles from their U.S breeding range! In Mato Grosso, Brazil, Suwannee, Lacombe, and PBC-ERM Male are making their way over flood plains and agricultural lands.

Bayou Vincent remains in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, while Pritchard has joined JAX and Apopka in Rondônia, Brazil.

We received new data from Sarasota in Amazonas, Brazil, near to Hobolochitto’s location. Wilson moves south along the Colombia/Peru border.

We need some good vibes for our “missing” kites that are out of cell service, last checking in from Colombia one to two months ago: Babcock, OK, Sawgrass, and PBC-ERM Female.

Safe travels Swallow-tailed Kites!

Avian Research and Conservation Institute

Once seen along the Mississippi River as far north as Minnesota, the Swallow-tailed Kite's range is now just a third its historic size. In the last 40 years, up to 80% of formerly common bird species have declined.

ARCI works to develop management techniques for these at-risk birds, but we must apply them now, before their recovery becomes impossible.

Since 1996, we have used satellite telemetry to study the ecology of Swallow-tailed Kites, including the 10,000 mile migration they make each year to the humid plains of Brazil and back to the lowlands of the southeast U.S.

Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has gained attention and respect for difficult, problem-solving research on rare and imperiled birds.

Learn more at www.arcinst.org