Coalition Supports Swallow-tailed Kite Research to Improve Habitat through Sustainable Forest Management in the Southeastern US.

Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) has partnered with, among others, International Paper (IP), the American Bird Conservancy, Orleans Audubon Society, Resource Management Service (RMS), Forest Investment Associates (FIA), White Oak Forest Management, The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, the McDaniel Charitable Foundation, and PotlachDeltic Corporation to support the study of Swallow-tailed Kite habitat use in South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana. 

This broad coalition of companies that purchase wood fiber, the landowners who actively manage their forests, and conservation organizations that provide expertise and guidance is an excellent example of the cooperation and coordination needed to ensure our forests can support the future needs of wildlife, local communities, and the economy.

We are in our third year of tracking GPS-tagged Swallow-tailed Kites in the Southeastern US. We have been tracking four kites from South Carolina for the last three years, and this year we added five more kites; two in South Carolina, two in Georgia, and one in Louisiana. To understand their use of sustainable forests, the locations from the Swallow-tailed Kites will show their activity and locations within IP’s mill basins, and we will be able to understand their use of specific habitats for nesting, foraging, and roosting.  These data will be critical to further improving the sustainable forest management techniques used by land owners that supply wood fiber to International Paper (Swallow-tailed Kite Forest Management Recommendations for Forest Owners). By successfully managing and creating nesting and foraging habitat conditions for the Swallow-tailed Kite, countless other wildlife species that share the same habitat needs also will benefit.

Introduction and migration notes on our flying research team:

All captures, banding, and radio-tagging were done under the appropriate Federal and State banding permits.

Newly tagged in South Carolina in 2023:

Simmon’s Creek: Male, fledged one chick in 2023. Simmon’s Creek spent time on major rivers of South Carolina during pre-migrations (Waccamaw and the Great PeeDee) until 13 August when he started south. He moved quickly through Georgia and Florida and left across the Gulf on 19 August from south of Marco Island, Florida to Cuba. One night in Cuba then direct to the Yucatán south of Cancun and spend 12 days stopping over before continuing migration.

Walker Farm: Female, fledged two chicks in 2023. Walker Farm stayed along the Santee River and went farther north into North Carolina before turning south on 11 August. After an 8-day trek through Florida, she headed over open water from the Ten-thousand Islands NWR direct to Cuba and spent two days there before another overwater flight to Belize. 

Newly tagged in Georgia in 2023 with special thanks to biologists with Georgia Department of Natural Resources:

Snuffbox Canal: Male, most likely fledged one chick in 2023. Snuffbox spent a lot of time on the Altamaha getting ready for migration. On 19 July he went to Citrus County, Florida for another few weeks of pre-migration preparation.  By 14 August he flew out over Florida Bay from Cape Sable across the Florida Keys (most likely counted by the Florida Keys Hawkwatch crew) and to Cuba for the night. The next morning, he flew directly to the Yucatán and spent 7 days of rest before continuing south.

Barrington: Male, most likely fledged one chick in 2023. Barrington made fame as he led Georgia DNR biologists Andy Day and Tim Keyes to a communal Swallow-tailed Kite roost on the Altamaha River with over 600 kites that was bigger than the total amount of Swallow-tailed Kites counted at all roosts combined! He wandered into South Carolina for a week before heading to Florida quickly through the Peninsula, and out from the Everglades 20 August. Winds pushed Barrington west northwest 48 hours the LONG way over the Gulf of Mexico and into Texas.  After getting his bearings he continued safely over land around the Gulf.

Newly tagged in Louisiana in 2023 by Dr. Jennifer Coulson and the Orleans Audubon Society, Abita Flatwoods, Female. She most likely fledged one chick in 2023 and by 29 June flew north northeast to Elm Bluff, Alabama for 25 days. She continued east to Florida and south through the Panhandle crossing the Gulf from Cape Sable to Cuba for two nights before direct flight to the Yucatán, followed by an 8-day stopover.

Tagged in South Carolina in 2022, Black Swamp, Female: Unfortunately, we lost signal in Nicaragua on southbound migration in 2022.

Tagged in South Carolina in 2021:

Carver’s Bay: Female, fledged one chick in 2023. Unfortunately, the transmitter has failed, and we are not getting location data from her. She returned to the same nest as 2022.

Big Branch: Female, nest most likely failed in 2023.  We have received tracking data in Nicaragua indicating she made a successful trans-Gulf migration; however, we receive intermittent data from her as her transmitter is failing.

Peter’s Creek: Male, nest failed in 2023: Peter’s Creek stayed near Plantersville and areas around the Black River. On 9 August he started south quite quickly through Georgia and Florida. He crossed the Gulf from Cape Sable with winds that hooked him west northwest around and into the Yucatán at Chabihau 48 hours later.

We are grateful to all the partners, organizations, and volunteers that have made this Swallow-tailed Kite research possible.  A big thank you to EJ Williams and Melissa Ludwig of ABC for countless hours of nest monitoring and trapping; Georgia DNR’s Andy Day, Erin Cork, Tim Keyes, Matt Moore, and Sam Murray for nest finding and tagging assistance and many days of logistics; and to our additional trapping helpers Brett Falterman, Tom Coulson, Adam Kent, and Nicole Jones.

Safe travels Swallow-tails!