04/19/2026
Thank you to everyone who came out to our event today, and a big thank you to Dr. Ken Meyer of Avian Research and Conservation Institute - www.arcinst.org for sharing his expertise!
Here’s what we learned about Swallow-tailed Kites:
These birds do almost everything on the wing, typically only landing to roost, nest, or mate.
They’re highly social and gather in communal roosts. Interestingly, they have been seen changing roost locations in the middle of the night to avoid predators like owls.
Their diet is incredibly varied. They eat things like insects, reptiles, amphibians, and more. They will even grab entire wasp nests! They carefully pick out each larva and will even incorporate the wasp nest in their own nest construction.
They are very particular about nesting location. They choose tall pine trees that rise above the canopy, ideally with a flatter top to support a nest placed right in the center. While they nest in pines, they build using cypress twigs, lichens, and hanging mosses.
They like to use commercial timber lands as nesting sites.
Young Swallow-tailed Kites have rusty colored heads that gradually fade to white. Unlike most birds, this color change happens without molting. It’s the same feathers changing over time.
Each year, they migrate about 5,000 miles to South America. During this journey, they can fly for up to four days and nights nonstop over open ocean before needing fresh water.
And some good news: Swallow-tailed Kite populations are currently increasing!
Stay tuned for part 2, where we’ll share what we learned about the Southeastern American Kestrel.
