Photo Fiona Sunquist ©

Swallow-tailed kites are back in Florida for the summer. These distinctive looking, graceful birds return to Florida in February and March to breed. In early spring you may see the adults flying with sticks or clumps of Spanish moss as they build their nests – usually in tall trees near water. Both parents feed the chicks with frogs, lizards, and insects which they pluck from the treetops.

The U.S. population of Swallow-tailed kites is thought to be about 3,500 to 5,000 birds, and Florida is home to about two-thirds of them. If you see one of these distinctive birds, make a note of where you saw it and go to this web site and record your observation. The data will be of great help to biologists studying Swallow-tailed kite distribution and habitat use.

Click here to read more about Swallow-tailed Kites.

top of page | Home